


Stolen Moments

by ReignOnMyParade



Category: Professional Wrestling, Roman Reigns - Fandom, Triple H - Fandom, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Multi, Mystery, Plot Twists, Romance, Sexual Content, Smut, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2018-12-11 08:06:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11710287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReignOnMyParade/pseuds/ReignOnMyParade
Summary: In a world where backstabbing and lies are commonplace, Fiona Raneri must maintain her top-dog status in the WWE. An old friend joins the company just as her secrets begin to unveil, threatening her status in the company. Riddled with romance, lies, lust, and betrayal, the life that Fiona built for herself is crumbling - and fast.





	1. Chapter 1

“Fuck.”

Heaving bodies collapsed underneath a mass of silken sheets. A tangle of amber-toned arms, legs and indigo silk were illuminated by the sporadic flickering candles surrounding the bed.

Fiona Raneri rolled away from her lover, closing her eyes for a moment to take in the deep scent of sandalwood and sex filling the room. A lazy smile came to her full lips as she let out a long sigh. “The candles were a nice touch.”

Joe Anoa’i turned to her, his eyes falling on the soft features only exaggerated by the flickering candlelight. He studied her smooth caramel-toned face, the soft curve of her round cheeks, her thick arched brows and her wild dark curls that stuck to her sweat-covered forehead. When his eyes fell on the goofy smirk on her full pink lips he couldn’t help but match the grin with one of his own.

“I was half-expecting you to make fun of me for them.”

“You’re right. They are kinda corny.” She raised a taunting brow as her brown eyes met his. A flash of upset betrayed the handsome man’s features for only a moment. But in the flicker of light he smiled once again at the recovering brunette beside him. He leaned in for a kiss, wasting no time nibbling at her flushed lips. His tattooed arm snaked around Fiona’s waist, pulling her naked body against his own as his hand gripped onto her back. He appreciated that Fiona was not stick-thin as many of the women he worked with on the roster. Groping the curvy woman never failed to excite the Samoan, and made Fiona aware by his thick throbbing member pressing against her thigh.

“Hey—Hey, I gotta- I gotta get going sweets.” Fiona managed to stammer between rough, needy kisses. She immediately felt his arms go limp around her, as an exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

“It’s 4 AM. I think you can stay in bed a little longer.” He struggled to keep his voice steady instead of pleading. Fiona could hear the desperation in his voice however and smirked as she propelled herself off of the comfortable mattress. She absolutely loved this man’s attention.

“I can’t stay in Baltimore much longer. Flight to NYC at 6 AM, arrives at 7. Drive from LGA to Stamford is about an hour and a half. I will be walking into a Mar-Com first thing at 9. So no, I can’t stay longer. Now do you have the other hotel key? I have to return them downstairs.” She began to gather her thick dampened curls into a messy bun atop her head.

“Do you only speak in abbreviations? What the hell is a Mar-Com?”

“Marketing and Communications. You know this, Joe. Huge meeting. I have some chastising to do.” She swiftly collected her abandoned clothes from the floor before blowing out the candles on her side of the bed and flicking on the light. “Hotel key?”

Joe rolled his eyes as the ambience of the room completely faded away with the candlelight and his erection. He threw his muscled arms over the edge of the bed and blindly fondled his abandoned pants for the hotel key. He tossed the plastic card to the woman, she caught it effortlessly and sprinted for the shower. “Make sure to wait an hour to leave after I check out!”

“Love you too.” Joe grumbled under his breath as he closed his eyes and took in the residual scent of Sandalwood in the room, hoping to recapture the night he just spent with Fiona just one more time.

* * *

 

“Really guys? Seriously?” Fiona remarked in a condescending tone. She crossed her arms as she scanned the conference room for any eye contact. All heads were bowed down at their papers or looking outside of the large windows overlooking downtown Stamford. It was a particularly bright day considering it was the middle of winter. Even so, the sun shone through the Titan towers windows and cast a harsh bright light on all the eyes averting Fiona at the head of the conference room.

“Sales are shit this quarter. We should be sold out of Mania tickets by now, and we are not.” Fiona sighed and slammed her pad folio onto the conference table. “I just don’t understand what’s wrong with everyone in this department.” Her brown eyes probed the bright room, looking for an answer. She fixed on her Marketing Analyst, Jonas. “Jonas, do you have any explanation for this?”

The plump blonde man nearly choked on his coffee when he realized all eyes were on him. He cleared her throat and flipped through his notes furiously before giving up. “ I’ve followed the trends closely, and I haven’t really been able to find a strong enough correlation—“

“Creative secured an amazing card, Accounting managed to get us nearly double of last year’s ad budget and what? …Am I supposed to tell the WWE that Advertising dropped the ball despite all the support we have from literally every other department here?” She paced back and forth in her heels, each step was deliberate in instilling fear in her employees.

“Shit! Shit shit shit!” A woman’s voice echoed from the back of the conference room. All heads turned toward the commotion. Fiona squinted to see a brown-skinned woman with red lips and a pile of long, kinky hair atop her head. Despite the woman dressed in business attire, she was hopping on her left foot while cursing and holding her right foot in pain.

“Evelyn?” Fiona furrowed her thick brows. The room focused on Fiona once again, noticing the expression of recognition on her face. She quickly shook her head to regain her sharp expression from before, she could see someone flinch slightly out of the corner of her eye.

“It’s quarter after. Why did you even bother showing up?” The venom of Fiona’s words caused the woman to frown briefly. She opened her mouth to retort but thought better of it when Fiona raised one brow.

“Sorry.” The woman muttered as she pulled her heel back onto her foot and shuffled to the seat closest to her.

“Well don’t sit down now, you’ve interrupted the meeting already.” She sighed and motioned for the well-dressed woman to stand up. “Everyone, this is our new director of Marketing, Evelyn Moore. She’s from the NFL Network and knows a thing or two about increasing sales for Superbowl-like events. Unlike most of you.”

Evelyn felt a proud grin tug at her lips.

“But unfortunately, she doesn’t know about arriving to meetings on time, but I digress.” She remarked with the hint of a smile on her pink lips. “Welcome to the WWE Evelyn, I’m sure this will be a great partnership for years to come, don’t you agree?”

The tension in the room was palpable between the two women, a period of silence passed over the room before a man cleared his throat loudly.

“Well let’s get on with the presentation, shall we?” Fiona broke the silence as she turned to the board behind her.

* * *

“What the fuck was that about Fi?” Evelyn strutted towards the taller woman with hands on her hips. “You get me this gig and humiliate me the first day I’m here?”

The conference room echoed with the sound Evelyn’s heels clicking across the shiny hardwood floor and her rich voice. Fiona glanced over her shoulder, surveying the halls outside of the conference room for any prying eyes or ears. Once she realized no one was watching, her soft features broke into an excited expression. She dropped the stack of papers in her hands and stretched her arms open to capture her friend in a warm embrace.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. Listen, I just had to keep up appearances. You know how it is. Show these idiots your soft side and suddenly you’re out of a job.” Fiona squeezed her friend tightly before pulling away and studying her friend’s striking features. Her tight kinks framed her frowning face, high cheekbones and thin brows framed her large glaring brown eyes.

“I’m sorry! Really, I love you so much, don’t kill me!” Fiona gathered her friend in a hug again, and this time she felt the shorter woman’s body relax into the hug. A smile spread onto Evelyn’s signature red lips.

“You’re fucking psycho, you know that?” She playfully shoved her friend back. “So this is what the Titan towers did to you, huh? Made you a power-hungry bitch?”

“Fake it till you make it.”

“Well you could’ve fooled me with that performance back there… How you feeling about drinks tonight? I need to knock a few back to forget about you dragging me in front of the whole department.”

“I can’t, I have to go over some really important commercial bids tonight.”

“Really important commercial bids? Sounds like you’re ditching me for some dick!” Evelyn cackled loudly and made an ass-smacking motion with her hands.

Fiona tried to keep a straight face as she glared at her best friend. She couldn’t keep her composure, however, and broke into an equally loud laugh. “Fuck you, alright. I just have to get home, I’ve been away for so long and I miss him.”

“Fine. Ditch me for your man. Hell, I’d do the same, it’s been a drought and I’m hella thirsty.”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of fun quenching that thirst on your own tonight.”

“You right!” Evelyn blew her friend a kiss before strutted out of the conference room.

* * *

 

Fiona kicked off her black stilettos and immediately felt the relief of her feet spring from the constricting heels. She leaned against the doorframe of the entryway into the expansive foyer of her home. The brightness of the chandelier high above her was harsh on her eyes. They slowly adjusted from the darkness of the night she just drove through. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes to alleviate them of their pain. She enjoyed the still quietness that filled her home, and reveled in it, nearly falling asleep to the silence.

 “Fi? Baby, is that you?” A deep, gravelly voice echoed through the home. Fiona roused from her moment of silent bliss and plastered a smile to her lips. She stood up straight, flattened her black pencil skirt, and pushed a dark lock behind her ear.

“Yeah, I just got in!” Fiona limped around the corner to the brightly-lit living room. The soft white carpet beneath her feet gave her instant relief. She silently thanked herself for ordering a memory foam padding install underneath the carpets. The tired woman was suddenly gathered in a strong embrace from behind. She smiled weakly as rough stubble grazed her soft cheek, lips pressing against them frantically trailing down to her neck.

“God, I missed you.” The man growled.

Fiona mustered a moan as the man assaulted her neck with kisses, his large body pressed against her from behind. She felt the start of an erection poking into her back, and immediately she broke from his embrace.

“Paul!” She snapped. She quickly realized she sounded too harsh and just as quickly regained her composure. “I’m sorry baby, I’m just a little stressed out… Mind if I freshen up a bit?”

“Absolutely.”

She carefully placed a soft kiss on Paul’s thin lips, while one hand ran through his blonde, buzzed hair. Paul Levesque grinned into the kiss before Fiona pulled away.

She couldn’t deny the man was handsome, his rugged qualities aged well on his face, and his large stature made Fiona feel small. Her eyes met his brown deeply hooded eyes, and she was reminded that this man was crazy about her, and what’s more, this man was going to be her husband in 3 weeks’ time. The thought alone made Fiona feel uneasy, and so she unraveled from her fiancée’s arms and started for the restroom.

She closed the door behind her and let out a deep breath. It had been 2 years and she still wasn’t completely used to the idea of her and Paul being together. She grinned and bared it, however, for her own sake. She controlled her breath, closing her eyes to focus on the inhale and exhale, and nothing else.

Her focused breathing was interrupted by a vibration in her blazer pocket. She instinctively reached for her phone, expecting a text or email about work. She opened her eyes to see a strange message from an unknown number.

_Don’t you think it’s time to confess?_

Fiona frowned at the message, her eyes flashing between the unfamiliar phone number and strange message. Her heart began to thud in her chest as her mind started to race. She quickly replied back, struggling to keep her breathing regular.

_Who the fuck is this?_

Could it be? Could someone really know her secret? Fiona was unsure, but hoped desperately that the person on the other end of the texts was a wrong number, or perhaps a troll who had no real substance.

The sender replied with a photo that made Fiona’s face pale in an instant.

Framed by white sheer curtains, Joe and Fiona sat on a hotel bed, entangled in a steamy kiss. Candles surrounded the two as her arms wrapped around the wide frame of Joe, his hands on her curvy waist, their lips pressed together passionately.

Another image followed; Fiona trapped in her fiancée’s arms, a tired expression gracing her features as he lay a tenacious kiss on her soft neck.

Her phone fell from her hands and her knees buckled. The world around her began to shift and sway, a tight coil twisted her core as she began to drool profusely. She heaved as she threw up on her porcelain bathroom floor.

“Fuck.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tremors fell over Fiona’s body in waves. The constant shaking made her muscles ache and her eyes shift in and out of focus, her mind raced relentlessly, posing questions that no one but her paranoia could answer.
> 
> How did they get those pictures?  
> Are they still here?  
> Who is doing this to her?  
> Why?

Tremors fell over Fiona’s body in waves. The constant shaking made her muscles ache and her eyes shift in and out of focus, her mind raced relentlessly, posing questions that no one but her paranoia could answer.

_ How did they get those pictures? _

_ Are they still here? _

_ Who is doing this to her? _

_ Why? _

“I brought this over in case you were feeling sick again.” Paul’s gravelly voice briefly halted her thoughts. Her fiancé placed a small wastebasket next her side of the bed and stroked her sweat-dampened hair. The sight of Fiona made his chest hurt. The pallor of her face, the sweat dotting her forehead, the petrified gaze all made Paul wonder if there was more wrong than “just a stomach bug.”

“Babe, I hate seeing you like this… Are you sure it’s only your stomach? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m – I’m okay, just – just a stomach bug.” She managed to choke out. Her eyes searched for something to fixate on, her eyes stopped on the photo of Aurora, Murphy and Vaughn, Paul’s three daughters. Their wide, young eyes challenged Fiona’s own frantic gaze.

Paul followed the woman’s gaze and noticed the photo of his girls. “You know, I could tell Shane to keep the girls a bit longer if you’re not feeling too great. I know they can be a lot to be around, might not be a good idea while you’re recovering.”

Fiona broke her gaze with her future step-daughters. She felt a coil in her stomach as she realized that she was not only marrying Paul in a few weeks, but would also be the step-mother to three beautiful girls who had lost their mother only a year ago. The girls were never warm toward Fiona, and only afforded her the politeness that their father insisted they give. She couldn’t blame them much though, the girls had only known of Fiona’s existence for one year, and that was the year they were grieving their mother.

_ Oh Stephanie. _

Fiona shivered thinking about the woman. The guilt she had tried so hard to suppress came surfacing to the forefront of her mind. Fiona began seeing Paul two years prior, while he was still married to Stephanie McMahon. A year into their affair, Stephanie passed away tragically in a fire. Fiona questioned being with Paul after the death, always feeling the overwhelming guilt of being with a dead woman’s husband. Paul felt the same sentiments at first, but leaned on Fiona for support, for comfort, for love. His feelings grew for Fiona in the year after his wife’s death, while Fiona felt herself growing ever-distant.

“So, what do you say? Should I give Shane a call?” Paul stroked Fiona’s supple cheek with his thumb, hoping to rouse her from her trance.

“Yes. Please, do that.”

** 2:57 AM **

Fiona’s eyes snapped open. She glanced over at her sleeping fiancé, snoring softly beside her. He looked peaceful, lost in the sweet embrace of calm and slumber that had completely evaded Fiona. She envied the man and his ability to lay beside her and sleep soundly. The distraught woman couldn’t bare being in her own skin. She laid still for hours, willing herself to fall asleep. She tried with no success to fall asleep, and instead laid in the darkness. Her mind was racing and relentless.

She sat up on the bed, only then realizing the dampness of her side of the bed. She had soaked through the sheets with her sweat, and the thought only disgusted her more. Springing out of the bed, she made her way to the master bathroom to cool her face down. Upon flicking on the light, she is met with the pale, clammy version of her face in the mirror. Scrambling to rid herself of her own disgusted gaze, she pulled the mirror to the side to reveal the medicine cabinet.

_ Maybe something here will help me sleep. _

Fiona’s eyes scanned the small shelves, passing over various toothpastes, creams and toiletries.  Her eyes landed on an orange pill bottle in the center of the shelf with the bold black letters printed on the label:

XANAX

She raised a brow and took the bottle into her shaking hands. She was never prescribed Xanax, and she knew Paul wasn’t keen on “mental meds” as he described them. Curious, she used her other hand to steady the bottle enough to inspect the label:

PRESCRIBED TO : STEPHANIE MCMAHON

TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH DAILY FOR ANXIETY

The bottle tumbled out of her hands and fell to the sink. Fiona was sure she had never seen the bottle in that cabinet before, what’s more, she didn’t know Stephanie suffered from Anxiety and took Xanax. The only familiarity Fiona had with the drug was vague references in rap and the news.

She bit her lip and stared at the bottle in the sink.

_ Maybe this  _ will _ help _

In one swift motion, the trembling woman shook the pill bottle until one white bar with the word Xanax engraved into it fell into her clammy palm. She popped it into her mouth before ducking down to the sink to sip water to help the large pill slip down her throat. She was afraid she would talk herself out of taking the pill, and so she wasted no time taking the deceased woman’s medication.

She was desperate for any alleviation from the persistent guilt, and she hoped to God that the pill would help her get through the night and the rest of her day tomorrow.

** 8:54 AM **

“Are you sure you should be going in today? You looked awful last night.” Paul turned to his fiancée in the car. “It’s not too late for me to turn back and drop you back off at home.”

Fiona rolled her eyes and stroked the rough blonde stubble on Paul’s face. “I’m fine. Really! Now let’s get in there before we’re late.”

Only 6 hours prior Fiona took the pill from the bathroom cabinet, and shortly after she ingested it she fell into the most relaxing slumber she had ever experienced in her life. She woke up feeling refreshed, warm, slightly heavy and strictly focused on the present. Her fears about Paul and Joe and her mysterious assailant all evaded her. The only thing she was truly intent on was getting to work on time. This was much to the annoyance of Paul, who had the image of the ghostly, shaking woman curled up in the bed beside him before he drifted to sleep the night prior. 

She smiled pleasantly at her fiancée, her usual hesitation to kiss him wasn’t there as she placed a soft, tender kiss on his tight lips. He didn’t yield to the woman’s affection, and continued to frown at her.

“I’m fine Paul! Let’s go!” Fiona grabbed her portfolio and hopped out of the car before Paul could give her any more trouble about coming into work.

She flashed her ID badge at the doorman and clicked away from her fiancée, not concerned in the least about what he thought. Her mind wandered to the thought about working on conversion numbers before the meeting at noon. The usual sense of urgency for the day ahead of her was gone, Fiona felt completely at ease and in control of her day. Last night’s worries felt as if they were a distant bad dream, something so intangible it almost slipped her mind…

**4:15 PM**

“Hey loser...”

Fiona’s brown eyes tore away from her computer screen and sluggishly landed on Evelyn clad in a black, clingy and barely work-appropriate dress. The woman practically skipped over to her friend’s desk, a wide smile stretching across her red lips. “You will not believe where I booked for your bachelorette party!”

Bachelorette party.

Bachelorette party.

_ Bachelorette party. _

And as if those two words were a secret code to Fiona’s brain, the fear and worry that were kept at bay began to slowly creep back into her consciousness.

“Oh my god.” Fiona gasped “I’m getting married in 3 weeks.”

“Uh… yeah.” Evelyn frowned, stepping closer to catch the taller woman’s gaze. “That's kinda fucked up if you forgot, Fi… Are you okay?”

Fiona shook her head hard and immediately flashed her friend a tight smile, hoping not to betray her thoughts. “Yeah, no. I’m totally fine.”

Evelyn had only recently moved to the Stamford area for this job, and as such she had not been privy to many of Fiona’s recent life events. Despite the Evelyn being her best friend since grade school, there were some things she kept secret for sake of her friend’s sharp tongue and relentless judgement. Her infidelity was the last thing she needed to be scolded about, especially with so much on the line.

“Oh. Alright. I’ll just send you an email about the party details then.” Evelyn’s face fell, she studied Fiona’s face for a moment before her eyes shifted to her computer screen. “You getting ready for that big meeting thing tonight?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The all-staff pre-Mania meeting? The email said something about catering afterwards.”

Fiona’s mind clouded with the fears of yesterday and maintaining her composure in front of Evelyn. As if it couldn’t become anymore cluttered, recollection of the big meeting nearly made her dizzy.

Of course. One of the largest meetings of the year; every department, every superstar, every cameraman, literally every person involved in making Wrestlemania a success meets every year a month before the big show for a debriefing followed by an all-out ass-kissing event disguised as an innocuous barbeque.

The meeting would mean that both her lover and fiancée would be in the same place at the same time. Under any other circumstances Fiona would not be worried about the interactions to come. Everyone knew their roles, there was no threat to that. However, with a unknown person in on her secret, she felt panic constricting her breathing.

“Yeah, I totally forgot. I uh, I guess I have a half-hour to go over my talking points.” Fiona glanced at her dainty sparkling white-gold wrist-watch. A valentine’s day gift from Paul. Her heart wrenched with regret. She flashed a stern look to Evelyn, signaling for her speedy departure.

“Alright, Damn. I’ll leave.” She turned to leave, but spun on her high heel and struck a pose. “Before I go, you think this will work for tonight? I’m trying to catch me a wrestler boo like you!”

“Rule number one, never call them wrestlers, they’re superstars. Number two, please hide your tits, it's a workplace not a brothel.” She snapped without even looking up from her computer screen.

“Okay, I don’t know who lit the fuse on your tampon. But I will see you in a few, and my tits will be fully present. Buh-bye.” Evelyn smirked and shimmied out of the office teasingly.

Fiona quickly clicked over to her door and locked it behind the cackling woman. She reached for the blinds to the inner windows and closed them before finding her phone and dialing Joe’s number.

“Hey, I was just thinking about you, figured I could stop by before the meeting tonight—“

“No. No. We can’t do this anymore Joe.” Her voice struggled to stay steady and low. Paranoid, her eyes darted around the room for anything that could betray the conversation.

“What?” She heard the rumbles of a deep laugh.

“I’m not kidding Joe. We have to stop this.”

“Wait, why? Are you serious?” Suddenly the panic was becoming apparent in the Samoan’s words.

Fiona bit her lip and contemplated whether Joe should be privy to the photos she was sent last night. After only a few moments of silence, she figured the man wouldn’t be able to do much to help the situation.

“Yes. I’m serious. I’m- I’m getting married soon. And I can’t keep doing this. We can’t keep doing this.” There was no desire to hear the man’s response, and so Fiona promptly hung up on Joe. She let out a long sigh and looked to the ceiling, almost as if there were a remedy to the tightness in her chest and the tears in her eyes.

She felt her phone vibrate harshly in her clenched hand. First there were calls, then messages. Buzz after buzz, without looking Fiona knew Joe was pleading with her. Begging her to talk to him. What the two had wasn’t the happenstance fling they intended it to be. The two shared two and a half years together, and it hurt Fiona to have to end it so abruptly and coldly.

She glanced at her phone screen, riddled with notifications from her lover.

_ Missed Calls (3) _

_ What the hells going on? _

_ Are you okay? _

_ Does he know? _

_ Pls call me asap. _

As her brimful eyes scanned down the messages, a new one vibrated and caused her to look again to the top of the chain of messages.

_ Nice try. But you can’t erase the past. Joe included. _

She clutched her phone tightly as she recognized the unknown number. She seethed as she blocked the number, and whipped the phone across her office, hearing a satisfying smack as the phone hit the marble floor. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fiona’s hands clutched onto a small stack of papers at the podium. Her palms soaked the edges of her speech with sweat. She was thankful for the wooden barrier from the hundreds of personnel before her.
> 
> Fiona stole a quick glance upwards to see hundreds of eyes on her. She felt the searing gaze of her colleagues. Soft dark curls curtained her soft face as she ducked her head lower to her papers. She knew they despised her.

Fiona’s hands clutched onto a small stack of papers at the podium. Her palms soaked the edges of her speech with sweat. She was thankful for the wooden barrier from the hundreds of personnel before her.

Fiona stole a quick glance upwards to see hundreds of eyes on her. She felt the searing gaze of her colleagues. Soft dark curls curtained her soft face as she ducked her head lower to her papers. She knew they despised her.

Usually this was a fact that Fiona could take with a grain of salt. That day Fiona could not ignore it. Perhaps this collective distaste for her could be a driving motive to ruin her marriage and entire career. She wondered briefly if her stalker was in the audience, but dismissed the thought just as quickly. After cracking her phone screen earlier, she managed to block her assailant’s number. Although she was sure that the action would not be the end of her troubles, she knew it would keep the threat at bay for the time being.

“…And that concludes the main objectives for this year’s mania. Our demographic targets will remain the same throughout the Axxess events, so please don't forget to update your social media often and regularly. Thank you.” Fiona immediately let out a long stream of breath. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath through the speech, and was grateful for not passing out in front of her spiteful colleagues.

A decidedly unenthusiastic round of applause followed as she made her way across the platform and sat next to her fiancée.

Vince Mcmahon stood to speak and a resounding reception echoed throughout the auditorium. Paul flashed Fiona an apologetic look. She squeezed his hand in response, as if to say “Its okay”. She dared not to look for any sympathy from the department heads beside her.  

“And that concludes the briefing! Now, let’s eat!” Vince flailed his arms excitedly at the back exit to the room. The man’s large movements were only further exaggerated by his bright pink suit and lime green tie. He barely fit into the ensemble, however this was a look that Fiona became quickly accustomed to. The company she worked for was filled with muscled-men who only grew more muscled as time went on, suits could only be so accommodating. 

A chorus of chairs moving across the wooden floor erupted in the room as the mass exodus to the catered barbeque outside. Fiona felt her heart rate decrease slightly. 

Paul stood, still holding Fiona’s hand and giving her a gentle tug to stand up with him. Her small hand fell out of his grip. She shook her head.

“I’ll catch up in a bit. Just need to take a breather.” A tight smile graced her plump lips.

“You sure? You feeling alright?” Paul ducked down to make eye contact with the woman. She nodded aggressively.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” She dismissed him with a quick peck on his lips. The large man rolled his eyes and shrugged before following the large herd of employees to the exit doors.

It felt as if the migration took forever but after ten minutes of awkward shuffling and loud murmuring, Fiona found herself in the empty auditorium. The sound of the ventilation system filled the large room. She didn’t feel so alone, and so she reveled in the white noise. Closing her eyes, she rose from her chair and took a deep breath.

_ Everythings okay. _

Slow and wandering footsteps guided her body across the platform, down the stairs and through the aisles of blue folding chairs. Her hands dragged across the tops of the chairs aimlessly. She just wanted to live in the stillness and not worry. However, Fiona knew that this wouldn’t be possible under her new circumstances.

A warm, rough hand clasped over her own. Her brown eyes snapped up to see the tanned, handsome face of her lover.

“Joe!” Her hand retracted immediately. “We cannot be seen together!” She struggled to keep her voice steady through her clenched teeth. Her eyes darted around the expansive room, hoping not to see any stray personnel milling about the auditorium. Luckily, the only people in the room was the couple. Fiona couldn’t help but feel as if she was still being watched, her stalker was able to listen to her phone conversation, there was no telling where they were and when.

Joe tilted his head, and trying to catch her gaze with his own. His brown eyes pleaded beneath his thick, dark brows. Fiona felt as if her knees were going to give out, she already knew the look he was giving her without even seeing him. The man knew that he wielded a handsome face, and he was well aware on how to use it. She felt a familiar prickly sensation as her hair stood, it crept down her arm. He slid his fingers in between each of hers smoothly.

“Fiona, look at me.”

** March 29, 2015 12:02 AM   **

Fiona shivered as she made her clumsy stride into the hotel’s lobby. She vigorously rubbed her arms to relieve them of San Jose’s cold night air. She was always under the impression that the west coast was always scorching hot, and as a result she naively packed an entire summer wardrobe for her first company trip. Because Fiona’s hometown was Rochester, NY she eagerly pounced on the opportunity to dress for something other than snow for once. 

She had tried her hardest to keep a smile on her face all night, but everything had felt so…  _ Uncomfortable _ .

Fiona was cold, she barely knew anyone and couldn’t walk in the heels she had convinced herself she needed. The prospect of being at the Hall of Fame Ceremony was overwhelming for her. She had only been in the company for two months as a marketing associate, and yet she still felt so new. It was not even a serious consideration for Fiona to go to San Jose for the ceremony. But after relentless goading from Evelyn over late-night Facetime sessions, she yielded.

And so that lead to the woman’s first trip to the west, first Hall of Fame Ceremony, and now her first Hall of Fame after-party at a swanky hotel. Of course, Fiona couldn’t help but feel self-conscious for showing up abysmally late. After giving her uber driver 3 wrong addresses, she eventually ended up at the Fairmont hotel.

“Are you checking a coat ma’am?”

A small blonde man extended a white gloved hand from behind a counter. Fiona hadn’t realized she stumbled into the coat check. She frowned and looked around for the entrance to the after party.

The curvy woman shook her head no, a few dark spirals loosening from the bun she spent too much time trying to perfect. The familiar buzz of a social event came from a room down the hall. She carefully walked into the lavish room, making sure not to stumble in her black strappy heels. She spotted a space in a corner to observe the party from a safe distance and made her way to it.

Warm gold shone over the room as light reflected from the gold and crystal chandeliers scattered about the vast room. The buzz about the room was lively as the men and women of the WWE mingled and laughed with their co-workers. She longingly stared at the happiness that was so unabashedly filling the room.

Fiona felt the loneliness of the scenario in full force and spun on her heel to leave. Just as she turned her body collided with a brick wall. Rather, Fiona felt as if she spun right into a brick wall. Upon looking up, the woman caught a mesmerizing dark gaze. She knew the man through her extensive WWE research and swooned over him often, not unlike many other women in her department. While she knew she worked for the same company as many of the handsome men, she wasn’t expecting to break the fourth wall and actually meet any of the people she was responsible for promoting.

“I- I am so- I am so so so sorry, Roman.” Her glossed lips moved without her brain registering the words.

“ _ You’re _ sorry?” The man bellowed, a deep laugh revealed his straight white teeth. “I’m the asshole who poured champagne down your dress!”

“Huh?”

Fiona glanced down at her dress, the cerulean mermaid dress that hugged her curves was newly fashioned with a dark, wet trail starting at her low plunge. Her senses came flooding back to her the moment she saw her dress was ruined, and felt the alcohol already becoming sticky between her breasts. She lifted her head to meet the larger man’s gaze. Fiona felt blood rushing to her cheeks when she noticed his gaze was fixed on her glistening cleavage.

He cleared his throat and flashed a cheeky smile. “Sorry, I should probably help with that.” He swiftly retrieved the black handkerchief from his chest pocket and handed it to the blushing woman.

“Don’t assume I’m too much of a gentleman.”  He winked at Fiona, and she briefly questioned her sanity.

_ Is Roman Reigns hitting on me right now? _

“Name’s Joe. And you are…?”

“Fiona. Fiona, I’m Fiona.” The moment the stutter escaped her lips she was ready to kick herself. She extended one hand for a handshake while the other dabbed away at her dress.

He met her smaller hand with a strong shake and a smirk that seemed to permanently stretch his pink lips. She took a moment to stare the handsome man up and down. He looked more polished than he ever had in the ring, sporting a slicked back bun, neatly shaven beard, and dark grey suit that he filled out just enough. No one would mistake the man for a regular guy in a suit for his fitness betrayed him. Fiona was in awe of it.

“What? You checkin’ me out or something, Fiona Fiona I’m Fiona?” He mocked as he coolly leaned on the small high-top table beside him. He smirked - proud that he was teasing the visibly nervous woman that stood in front of him.

“You're one to talk!” Fiona quipped, gesturing at her ample chest. She felt a genuine smile tug at her lips. “And it’s  _ just _ Fiona.”

Joe raised his hands in pseudo-defense, before continuing on. “Well,  _ just  _ Fiona, I’ve never seen you around. Who you here with?”

The woman raised her brows in surprise. The question itself wasn’t surprising. She had just felt so alone in the company, it never occurred to her that she would ever be at an event with someone.

“No one. Flying solo, you know?”

“I see that…” Joe cracked another smirk and decided he would take this opportunity to have fun with the situation at hand.

“That's why you’re so nervous.”

“Nervous? Who said I was nervous?” Fiona felt blood rushing to her cheeks again. She returned the damp handkerchief.

Joe chuckled to himself. They both knew what was transpiring. “The look on your face. It's a dead giveaway.” Joe decided to play along, making Fiona even more flustered. Her hands instinctively sprang to her cheeks, hoping they would stop betraying her in front of the handsome man.

“No need to hide it, I think it’s cute when you squirm.” He stated matter-of-factly.

_Squirm._ Fiona felt a flutter in her chest.

Joe motioned for a server to come over and plucked two champagne glasses from the server’s tray, offering one to Fiona. She quickly accepted and began to sip, hoping that she could regain composure through a few gulps. Despite his blatant cockiness and aura of mischief, Fiona was practically swooning over the larger man.

“So, you’re here alone, huh?”

If Fiona would’ve blinked, she would have missed Joe’s quick tongue darting to lick his lower lip. His eyes slowly and deliberately trailed down her curves, stopping to admire every landmark. Her breasts, her waist, her hips, and a quick glance at her backside. There was no way she or anyone else could have missed that. If anyone mistook his intentions before, they were crystal clear now.

“Y-Yeah. I’m uh, I’m the newest hire for Marketi-”

“You’ve got a room here tonight, right?”

“Uh… Yes? Why?”

“Just fucking with you, newbie.” Joe chuckled before gulping down the entire glass of champagne in one swig. He his hand dwarfed the glass as he set it on the high-top table beside him. He waved across the room at a bearded man with half blonde, half black hair slicked back in a bun similar to his own. He mouthed something to the man before turning to the awe-struck Fiona.

“I’ve gotta catch up with some folks, but I’m sure I’ll see you around. Try not to stay in the corner all night.” And with one more knee-buckling wink, the man disappeared into the crowd of happy colleagues.

Fiona gave a weak wave before eyeing her champagne glass and taking a large gulp of it. She glanced at the groups of people laughing, she longed to be like one of them, and for only a little moment she felt like she was one of them. 

** 2:38 AM **

Fiona had no idea why she was torturing herself. Over the course of the night, she had held two minute conversations with colleagues from marketing who only seemed to feel bad for her. She happily indulged in the short conversations when they came through, but they were fleeting. The shapely woman nervously sipped glass after glass of champagne. Her eyes occasionally scanned the room for the large Samoan man in grey. She could never spot him.

The night became a dull buzz of short meaningless formalities and slightly outdated pop music. After nearly 3 hours, Fiona found herself still leaning against the same high-top table in the corner. When she made a final scan of the room, she realized the crowd had disappeared entirely . There was at most ten people still in the vast room, and she was almost certain most of them were catering staff. She resigned to ending the night in her hotel room upstairs.

With a heavy sigh Fiona bent down to grab her heels and exited the room barefooted.

“You gonna leave your coat?”

Fiona turned to see Joe’s permanent smirk on his handsome face. The man leaned over the counter of the coat check room, shiny wisps of dark hair framed his face. The harsh overhead lights struck heavy shadows over his eyes, making him look ever more menacing.

“What are you doing back there?!” Fiona couldn’t tell if she was being too loud and regulated her voice to a whisper “What are you doing back there?”

“I’m just doing my job, ma’am.” Joe stood up straight, and posed with his arms outstretched. “Now don’t you need your coat?” He clumsily reached for a jacket on the rack next to him. He presented a large white fur coat with a drunken smile.

“What am I, Cruella de Ville?” Fiona giggled before swatting away the coat. “Besides, I didn’t check anything in.”

“Well, why don’t you come back here and try some on?” He lifted a taunting brow. The look on his face said nothing but trouble.

Fiona quickly peered into the banquet hall and then down the hall. The night had reached its lull, and she was sure there wouldn't be any trouble from the staff if she tried on a few coats. She grinned and dropped her heels and hiked up her dress slightly. After a few attempts, she was able to lift herself onto the marble counter. She yelped when she felt two large hands grip her waist, pulling her back effortlessly behind the desk.

A fluttering started in her chest. She questioned if she really had that much to drink, but dismissed it quickly. She smoothed out her blue dress, and took a step away from Joe. She fell out of his grasp, and suddenly realized the tightness of the space.

“So, uh, there aren’t that many coats back here-” Fiona began, looking at the sparse jackets on the hangers.

Joe closed the gap between their bodies in one smooth stride. The sticky-sweet smell of champagne and sandalwood invaded Fiona’s senses.

“Listen, I’ll cut to the chase.” The man ducked to her ear, his voice low and growling. “I don’t know if I’ve had too much to drink or if the way that dress is wrapped around that ass is making me say this, but I want to fuck the shit out of you.”

His hands snaked around her waist, hands clawed into her sides, possessive. She felt the closeness of his face, the warmth of his breath trailed down her neck and onto her heaving chest. She looked down, biting her lip.

“Fiona, look at me.”

And she did. The moment she looked at the man’s chiseled face, she felt the overwhelming need to taste his lips and feel him. Their lips pressed hard against each other, tongues darted about as their hands hungrily grazed across skin and fabric.

Joe bit on Fiona’s lip, hard enough to elicit a moan from the woman. He grinned into the kiss. His hands grasped the silken blue fabric of her dress, hiking it up higher and higher to reveal her thick caramel thighs.  One large hand slid up the back of her thigh, grabbing a handful of her ass. He growled and pressed her against the racks of coats. His firm body pressed against hers, she felt the unmistakable hardness of his erection press against her thigh.

“W-Wait. Anyone can see us here.” Fiona broke the kiss, looking at the other side of the kiosk, fully expecting an audience.

“All the more reason to keep quiet.” Joe challenged, pressing his soft lips into hers. Fiona lost herself in the sensations about her. Pressed against the coatrack, she felt soft furs and wools and the cold hard metal of the hangers and poles against the back of her legs. His warm hand cupped her rear, grabbing roughly before landing a searing smack against the cheek. A loud whimper escaped her flush lips.

“Thought you wanted to be a good girl and stay quiet.” Joe taunted in her ear, his deceptively soft, mocking voice contrasted with the roughness of his beard against the nape of her neck. “Try harder, sweetie.”

Joe smacked her ass once more. Fiona bit her lip, but still whimpered at the intense and momentary pain from the slap. 

Joe shook his head slowly and grinned.

In one swift motion, he turned Fiona around and hiked her dress up higher. Her light-blue lace panties were fully exposed, along with one large red handprint. Her legs buckled slightly, partly from excitement, and partly from the terror of getting caught.

He pulled her underwear to the side, exposing her wet slit. She felt two fingers slide up and down her pussy, grazing, teasing. The sensation was agonizing for Fiona, her heart thud heavily with anticipation. She needed to feel him. She arched her back, hoping to feel more pressure from his fingers. Joe knew better though and pulled away slightly, not giving way to the woman’s silent plea for more. After being teased for what felt like an eternity, Fiona felt the distinctive hard smoothness of the head of his cock. He pressed into her slowly, allowing her to adjust to his girth.

A low and slow moan escaped Fiona’s lips.

Just as she felt him fully, a hand clasped over her mouth, while the other held her hands behind her back tightly. She felt the fabric of Joe’s suit pants against the back of her thighs, and knew he wasn’t fully exposed. The idea of fucking while fully clothed only heightened her arousal.

Soon Joe began to thrust into her with an unyielding vigor. Her bun loosened with every thrust as her head jolted against his hand. Muffled moans and heavy breaths filled the small room as the Samoan roughly slid in and out of her sex.

The filling sensation was enough to make Fiona’s toes curl. His rough hands tightened around her hands as he quickened his pace. A thin sheen of sweat coated her neck and chest as the heat of the interaction heightened. Guttural growls hummed in her ear as Joe thrusted harder still. She felt the walls of her pussy tighten around his member. 

With a few rough thrusts, Fiona felt warm wave after wave of ecstasy flow through her body. She bit hard against the hand pressed against her lips as she rode out the final waves of orgasm.

“Fuck, baby.” Joe choked out. Fiona felt him throbbing within her. The woman moaned loudly against his hand, hoping he could interpret her muffled moan as a reminder to pull out. He quickly withdrew, before shooting warm ribbons of cum on her ass, narrowly missing her pussy. The white stickiness flowed down her leg as Joe stepped away from her, panting heavily.

The woman’s hair stuck to her forehead as she leaned against the cool marble kiosk before them. She took a moment to catch her breath before looking over at Joe. He also leaned against the marble, looking as disheveled and sweaty as Fiona did.

“I’m surprised we didn’t get caught.” She grinned.

“Two people actually walked by. But they were smart and kept on walking.”

“You’re kidding.” Fiona’s jaw snapped open in disbelief.

Joe shook his head and laughed, Fiona joined. For a fleeting moment Fiona felt like she had a friend, someone to laugh with like everyone else.

Little did she know she would still be fooling around with the man two years later, and he’d still be able to make her knees weak with just four little words.

_ “Fiona, look at me” _


	4. Chapter 4

** Present Day **

_“Fiona, look at me”_  
   
Joe’s eyes bored into hers.  
   
Fiona craved the first half of her day. The peace in her mind was so comforting, despite being the result of the pills she took the night previously. It was only now that she realized that she took the calm in her mind for granted. Her mind was in a complete flurry as she tried to figure out what to do next.  
   
Despite the aggressive first encounter she had with Joe, he softened considerably over the years. In fact, Fiona felt as if she had become the more aggressive one in the relationship. With the new status she attained at work, she felt more confident, bold and most importantly, more powerful. But in the last few days, Fiona felt futile. The world she built for herself was now precariously balanced. Even the tiniest gust of wind and everything would come tumbling down. The way his hand cupped over hers reminded her of the days when she had little to lose and he was her rock. She missed those times.

Her body slumped over with a deep sigh.

“Joe, there’s so much going on right now. I really just need you to go.” Fiona didn't even sound convincing to herself.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” He moved in closer, his forehead pressed against hers. “I know this isn’t about Paul, you’ve been with the guy nearly as long as you’ve been with me. If you really cared about him you would’ve quit me a while ago.”

Fiona was too exasperated to feign incredulity. He was right about Paul. Fiona wasn’t completely callous toward Paul and could enjoy herself from time to time. In the end, Fiona had always felt more affection for Joe, but the back-and-forth, friends-with-benefits dynamic kept the two from being a real couple.  At any given point, one wanted what the other didn’t. It wasn’t long before Fiona saw an opportunity with Paul that she could take advantage of.  

“Have you told anyone? About us?” She pulled away from him, examining his face for any tell of a lie.

“And get fired for fucking my boss’s fiancé?” He laughed “You think I’m stupid?”

“Well Joe, someone knows. About us. And I don't know how they know.”

“What? What do you mean  _someone_?” His face immediately formed a frown. “We’re more than careful, you never let me stand near you for more than a minute in public.”

Fiona took an instinctive step away from him and surveyed the space around her. No one else was around.  
   
“I know, but someone is texting me. They’ve got pictures of us, pictures of me and Paul… I don’t know who they are or where they are but they’re watching me.”

“Are you serious?”

She nodded, feeling her heart rate increase. Her tormentor could be in that room. She couldn’t risk to give that person any more power than they already had.

“I have to go.” She quickly made her way toward the back of the auditorium. She needed to feel less vulnerable, shielded from her stalker. The crowd of the barbeque outside would suffice.

The sun peered through heavy clouds and the smell of rain wafted through the humid air. Large white tents scattered throughout the muddy field. Groups of people clustered beneath, fearful of the impending rain. Catering staff carted food from tent to tent. Fiona searched for Eve and couldn’t spot the woman’s red lips in the crowd for once. She reached into her small purse to retrieve her phone, only to be reminded of her smashed screen from earlier that day. She expected to see new notifications from her stalker, filled with picture after picture of her and Joe only moments before. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw the cracked screen sans notifications.  
   
 _Maybe the block actually worked._  
   
Fiona began to text Eve asking where she was when Joe interrupted her train of thought with his deep voice.

“Babe, you can’t just run from me. I need to know what’s going on too, this isn’t just about you.”

“Joe, this isn’t the time or place. We need to stay away from each other.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “At least until I figure out this bullshit”

“What bullshit?” Paul’s rough tone came from behind Fiona.

Just when she felt as if things were getting better, they took a turn for the worst. She closed her eyes and took a calculated breath before turning around to her fiancée with a smile stretching her lips.

“Paul! Sweetheart, I was just looking for you!” She pecked his bearded cheek and snaked an arm around his waist. She stood by his side in the way only a wife would.

“Yeah, I was just going in there to get you…” He eyed Joe for a moment. Fiona couldn’t read his expression very well. “What’s this bullshit you were talking about?”

“Oh, I uh- I was just telling Joe about- uh” She stammered. Her mind buzzed, trying to find a non-suspicious explanation for her conversation with Joe.

“The numbers for Mania this year.” Joe said cooly. “It's a shame, really.”

“Well, I didn’t know you were so interested in marketing numbers. They usually put me to sleep when this one starts talking about them.” Paul squeezed Fiona’s side playfully, pulling her closer to his own body. His grip never loosened though, he held her close. She glanced up to see a grin that never reached his eyes. His gaze was intently fixed on Joe. He looked as if he were going to square up with the Samoan in the ring.

“Someone’s gotta take an interest in her- I mean - it. Am I right?” Joe raised a challenging brow, not breaking eye contact with the older man. Fiona felt the grip tighten even more over her waist. It bordered painful.

She practically tasted the sharpness of the tension in the air between them. She prayed desperately for an out;  a plane to come crashing through the barbeque, the rain to start, something, anything to get the three of them out of the same vicinity.

“Eve!” Fiona didn’t register the loudness of her voice. She couldn’t contain the relief she felt when she saw the woman in her tight black dress crossing the field. She waved her over frantically, hoping she would play her role as comedic relief.

“Girl, where the hell have you bee-” Evelyn’s jaw fell mid-sentence when she laid eyes on Joe. “Hello and who are  _you_?”

Fiona immediately recognized the awestruck look on her friend’s face. It only took a moment for her to wish her friend away. When Evelyn was on mission for a man, she was not one to back away from a challenge.

Joe broke the stare down with Paul to acknowledge the much shorter woman. He extended his hand, a small smile tugged at his lips.

“Joesph, and you are?”

“Sprung. But you can call me Eve.” Her seductress smile graced her features as she shook his hand and felt his forearm with the other. “I am honestly pissed Fi didn’t introduce us earlier. Girl, do you see this man? Like, look at him!” Joe laughed in response.

Fiona shot her friend a warning glare. She didn’t think the interaction could’ve gotten any worse. But there she was - her obnoxious friend gushing over her lover, in front of her and her fiancée.

She forced a smile.

“I guess it just never crossed my mind.”

“Well you need to think about your girl more often!”

“Well Evelyn, looks like you’ve got some company. And Joe’s got someone to take a new interest in. We’ll leave you to it.” Paul flashed another fake smile before pulling Fiona to turn away. He stopped in his tracks when he felt the resistance from Fiona.

“No!” She caught herself and readjusted her tone “I mean, I wanted to catch up with Eve before we left. I haven’t had much time to-“

“-Girl you ain’t worried about me. I’ll call you later. Have fun with your man.” Evelyn dismissed her friend, never taking her eyes away from Joe. He did cast a sideways glance at Fiona, however.

“You heard her, Fi. She’s busy.” Nothing in Paul’s voice sounded jovial. A more forceful tug at Fiona’s waist signaled the end of the conversation. Paul practically dragged Fiona to a corner around the building, out of the sight of most at the gathering.

“What the fuck Fi?” Paul snapped, his voice was steady, but his eyes flashed nothing but anger.

“What?” She feigned ignorance.

“What was that idiot saying to you before I got there? Was he trying to come on to you, because I swear-“

“No! No. Babe. Sweetheart, it was nothing, just ranting about Mania numbers. Really. You know how he is, he’s a cocky shit sometimes. Just like half of the guys on the roster. You can’t say that anyone else wouldn’t have fucked with you the same way.” She caressed the man’s rough face, trying to distract his thoughts and calm him.

“Well I don’t take lightly to people fucking around with me.” His gaze nearly made Fiona shudder. Her hands fell to her sides.  

“You have nothing to worry about, baby. Really.” She challenged his gaze with one of her own.

“I don’t?” He raised his brows. “We’re getting married in three weeks Fi, and I need you to be here, with me. Not having these mood swings, not being distant and definitely not flirting with my fucking talent.”

Fiona opened her mouth to protest, but he continued on.

“I’ve been working my ass off to make sure this company doesn’t go under. On top of that, I’ve been having to make sure you’re not on the verge of an episode. When I proposed, I proposed to a woman who knew how to handle herself and handle this business. Someone who was mature and determined and dedicated.”

“Oh, you mean a replacement for Stephanie?” The moment the words left her lips, Fiona wished she could take them back. Bringing up his dead wife was not the way to diffuse the situation, and Fiona knew it.

She saw the hurt in his face when she said it.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t – I didn’t mean it. Baby I’m-” She reached for his hands, but he stepped away.

He reached into his pants pocket and handed her a set of keys.

“You can drive the Volvo back, I’ll find my own ride home.” And with that, the man brushed past Fiona and into the crowd of tents. Her eyes followed Paul until another sight caught her eye. Joe and Eve smiling, exchanging numbers. Eve’s hand grazed Joe’s arm as she took down his information. Fiona had to stop herself from storming over there and yelling at both Eve and Joe. The thought was interrupted by a buzz from her purse. She pulled her phone out, only to see a message from a new unknown number. Her stomach sank before she even read the message.

_I wish you could see the look on your face right now._


	5. Chapter 5

Fiona spent the days following the Barbeque in a stalemate with her future husband. The man slept on the couch and rarely spoke more than a word to her in passing. They drove in separate cars to work and he often stayed at work later than he usually did. Tension in the house was at an all time high.

Fiona tried to cast away any negative thoughts and stay calm as sporadic texts taunted her through the cracked screen. She was only able to keep a steady mind with the pills she took from her cabinet. She began to take a few with her in her purse, in anticipation of a new threatening text appearing at work. She was able to stay even-keeled and focused on her work in the midst of their fight. She craved the silence in her life and was able to achieve it with only one pill.

She sat at her desk, focused intently on the spreadsheets before her, when she heard her desk phone ring harshly.

“Fiona Raneri speaking.”

“Thank god you’re alive! We’ve been calling your phone like crazy. Mom’s worried sick.” The cheerful tin of her little sister’s voice came through phone’s receiver.

“Hey Annie! I’m sorry, my phone’s broken. I’m waiting on a new one.” Fiona lied, eyeing the phone she intentionally set on the other side of her office. “Whats up?”

“Mom wants to know if you’re sending a check this month, she’s starting to go through her coupons.”

Fiona hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. She completely forgot to send her monthly check to her family back in Rochester. While Fiona was a glutton for luxury, she ultimately wanted to ensure her family’s security. Ever since Fiona began at the WWE, she sent checks back home to help her family out. However, as she began to date Paul - and subsequently received promotion after promotion - the checks she sent home actually supported her family and help put the twins and her older sister through school. She felt no guilt in what she did - knowing it was all for her mother, father and three sisters back home.

“Oh my god, yes. Yes, of course, I just forgot. Things are getting crazy at work. I’ll send over the check right now.” She took out her checkbook and began to furiously scribble out a check to her mother for $8,000. “Tell mom to quit with the coupons. It’ll be there by tomorrow.”

“I will.” Annie giggled. “I’ve gotta go, but mom said to call her later.”

“Will do. Love you”

“Love you too.”

Fiona slid the check into an envelope and began to walk toward the mailing room to get it sent immediately, but wasn’t able to get past her door. Her assistant, Joanna stood in her doorway.

“Is there an issue?”

“Mr. Levesque said he needed you in his office. He sounded really angry, said he’s been calling you all afternoon.” The timid woman pressed her glasses against the bridge of her nose.

“Fine, send this out. Priority.” She handed her the envelope and began to click her way to Paul’s office on the other side of the expansive building.

Normally the walk through the maze of cubicles would start a small bout of anxiety. Thanks to Xanax, her cool demeanor allowed her to strut confidently through the office.

She stood at the large glass door. A grey curtain was the backdrop for the large, intimidating, bold letters cast across the door:

**PAUL LEVESQUE, COO**

September 21, 2015

Fiona nervously stood before her colleague’s door. She had yet to have a one-on-one encounter with Paul, her boss’s husband. She was told that he could be incredibly intimidating and that a conversation with him was never a good sign. Rumor had it that Paul was the one to do the firings because Stephanie was too soft to dish them out herself. Fiona of course didn’t want to believe the rumors. However, the stress of the impending interaction to come was no welcome emotion, especially considering the stress from her argument with Joe earlier in the day.

The man insisted that the two keep things casual and a secret no less. That had not been the only time the Samoan had asserted that the relationship stay casual. The conversation still hurt Fiona every time he mentioned it. It had been half a year since they first slept together and in that time between tapings, Fiona fell for the man. She loved the way he took control, the passion in his eyes when they made love, his possessive growls when he pawed at her body. The passion only increased when they argued in her humble Connecticut apartment. He always conveniently left for weeks at a time after an argument, claiming life on the road was too tiring to visit her in Stamford. She saw through his excuses and only grew angrier with him.

She toyed with the idea of leaving him entirely, but knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn’t stay away from him long.

She took a deep breath and shook her hands quickly, hoping to cast away the thoughts from the morning’s argument. She had a new obstacle to face. Whatever lay on the other side of that door, she had to feign the confidence to conquer it.

_ You got this. _

She knocked on the door and waited to hear a rough voice tell her to enter.

“Shut the door and take a seat please…” He shuffled through papers on his desk and paused at one. “… Fiona.” He read from the sheet.

She closed the door behind her and sat at the leather chair before his wide mahogany desk. Bright orange light peered through the thick black blinds beside her, the sun was beginning to set outside. The light casted the room in a hazy-orange. The dark furniture in the room made Paul’s presence seem only more intimidating. He sat at the desk, barely contained by a light grey suit, a blank expression across his rugged features.

The man reshuffled the papers on his desk and stole a quick glance at Fiona, before focusing again on the stack. His handsome face was unreadable. She couldn’t tell if this was going to be bad news or good. She braced herself for his words.

“Thank you for coming in on time, you’d be surprised how many people show up late.”  Paul joked, a crooked smile tugged at his thin lips. He never looked up from the documents in his large hands.

Fiona laughed nervously.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’ve been having to make some cutbacks here and there in the company. This has been in all departments, Creative, Accounting, hell, we’ve even had to let go of some of our talent. Now we try our hardest to keep everyone on deck for as long as possible, but sometimes we’ve got to let people go. Things get expensive fast and budgets get cut, along with people, unfortunately.” His voice was completely unaffected. He’d recited these words at least a dozen times before. “And so, I hope you understand it when I say that we’re truly regretful to –”

“No.” Fiona commanded the man’s attention with the abruptness of her voice. “You’re not firing me.”

Paul leaned back in his chair and finally dropped the stack in his hands. He eyed the dark-haired beauty. A cocky smile sprang to his lips. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me Paul, I’m not going anywhere. I’m the hardest worker here and your wife knows it.” Fiona’s frustrations with Joe earlier only fueled her confidence when she spoke to her boss’s husband.

“Well according to these papers here, your performance has been ‘adequate’ and your 3-month review mentions you ‘could put more time into your marketing summaries’” He read from the stack before shooting an all-knowing look to the woman across the desk.

“My review was done by Debra. That woman hates me. It’s bullshit.” Fiona snapped.

“Listen, Fiona, I barely know who you are. I don’t even know who Debra is. I don’t know your work habits, I don’t know the first thing about how great or terrible you are. I’m just doing my job. And my job is to let you go, give you some papers to sign and see you walk out that door.”

“I stay here way later than anyone else, five nights a week. I even come in on some weekends for no pay!” Fiona sprung from her seat and leaned onto Paul’s desk, towering over him with a menacing scowl. “Fuck anyone who says my performance is just ‘adequate’ and ‘I need to work harder!’ I worked my ass off for nearly a year and you’re firing me?!”

The man cleared his throat and adjusted his tie nervously around his thick neck. He raised his brows and stared intently at Fiona’s now exposed cleavage. It took the woman a moment to follow his gaze to her full breasts practically falling out of her button up shirt. She usually made an effort to look as professional as she could, despite her full bust and curvy figure. Embarrassed, she quickly stood up straight and scrambled to re-button the shirt. Her hands slowed when she peered at Paul through her thick lashes. A plan slowly began to form in the woman’s mind and a devious smile slid across her pink lips. Her hands fell to her sides, allowing the black lace of her bra peek from her white shirt.

“Paul, I don’t think you understand…” She leaned forward again, perching over the man’s desk, her chest unashamedly exposed in the man’s face. “I am willing to do  _ anything _ for this company. And I will do what it takes to stay here.”

Paul cleared his throat once more, this was the first time Fiona saw the man flustered. Even she was surprised with the impromptu plan she was forming. She saw her opportunity to make her mark and decided to fully commit to the role. At this point she wasn’t above it. She was screwed over by the man she wanted and it was her turn to exercise some authority over another man. A powerful one.

“Don’t tell me we can’t work  _ something _ out.” She pouted, batting her lashes and pressing her breasts together more. Paul couldn’t look away and the lustful look on his face betrayed that Fiona had him wrapped around her finger.

“I’m sure we can -” He coughed “- I’m sure we can find someone else to take the cut.”

She slowly strutted around the desk, unbuttoning her shirt in time with each calculated step. She never broke eye contact with the man as she made her way towards him. She reveled in his reaction as she exposed more and more of herself with every step. She stood in front of Paul, her bra fully exposed and shirt hanging off of her smooth arms. Her pencil skirt sat at the dramatic curve of her waist. The man’s eyes traced the outline of her curvy silhouette, deliberately taking in the sight of her ample breasts and the arch of her back leading to her round ass.

“Oh no, Paul, I’m not just asking for my job. I’m asking for a promotion.” She raised a perfectly arched brow as she draped her arms around his broad shoulders.

The man choked out a laugh, his gaze connected with hers, searching for a hint of a joke in her devious eyes. His face fell when he realized she wasn’t joking.

“I’m not just going to promote you because you flash your tits at me, Fiona. I barely know who you are.“

“You’re right, I should be a little more convincing, huh?”

She ducked down to press her soft lips against his. Paul grunted in surprise, not expecting the woman to kiss him so abruptly. The rough stubble of his beard tickled her soft face, a sensation that only excited her more as she straddled the man in his leather desk chair. His tongue darted against the seam of her lips, only to be met by her own fervent tongue.

Her heart raced. This was the craziest thing the woman had ever done, second only to having sex in a coat check.

She was not surprised to feel the thickness of his erection straining against the fabric of his pants. She grinned into the kiss. His strong hands gripped her hips, directing them to grind harder against his eager cock. She obliged, her body rocked back and forth against his hardness, soft moans escaped her lips in between rough kisses.

His tongue ventured to the sensitive skin along her neck. The wet trail he left made her toes curl. A dull ache throbbed between her legs, she grinded harder against his thickness.  She threw her head back, getting entirely too lost in the lashing of the man’s tongue on her neck. A wild tangle of deep brown curls fell from her bun and grazed her back.  

The couple froze when they heard the staccato tapping of someone at the door. Followed by a woman’s voice. “Yeah, I’ll let him know.”

It was the unmistakable voice of Stephanie McMahon.

“Shit!” Paul cursed, pushing Fiona off of him, beginning to straighten his shirt and blazer. Fiona ducked underneath the desk, refusing to leave his office without her job security. She saw the large man begin his feeble attempt to get her from underneath his desk. However, when she heard the confident clicks of Stephanie’s shoes, Paul immediately ignored Fiona’s presence.

“Hey, Joel from accounting said there’s a few important memos you need to check in your email before the day is up.” Stephanie mentioned before closing the door and taking a few more steps into the office. Both Paul and Fiona prayed that she wouldn’t dare to take another step forward. Thankfully, she did not.

“Great, I’ll check those before we head out.” Paul said in a steady tone. Fiona was not too surprised though, considering acting was a large part of his work.

Fiona was wedged underneath the heavy mahogany desk, with Paul’s lower half staunchly planted before her. His legs spread wide, revealing the tent in his grey slacks. She grinned knowingly, excited that she was the cause for it. While Fiona would have normally kept perfectly still until his wife left, something in her advised her to do otherwise. Perhaps she felt this was a great way to get back at Joe, or perhaps she felt incredibly desperate to keep her job, but regardless Fiona felt she had to finish what she had started.

With this mission in mind, her dainty fingertips stalked up his strong, thick legs. Despite the fabric separating her skin from his, Paul felt tingles up his spine. He jumped slightly in his seat. Fiona only continued up his legs, over his knees and up the thighs. Her fingers spread over the bulge in his pants, tracing the outline teasingly.

“So, I think we’ll be good on cutbacks for at least another quarter. Dad’s been killing me with them.” Stephanie sat in the chair in front of the desk, unaware of the woman underneath it only a foot away.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s always a rough time.” Paul’s voice faltered slightly. His hand reached underneath the desk and enclosed Fiona’s hand in a death-grip, pulling it away from his erection. Fiona only grinned more, using her other hand to unbutton his pants and dip into his boxers to release his cock. His dick sprang to attention, betraying Paul’s previous action. He wanted her and she reveled in that fact.

With nothing but mischief in her eyes, Fiona teased the man, running her fingertips up and down his thick shaft. His member twitched at the sensation, there was no way he could ignore his impulses at this point. Her fingers formed a firm grip around the shaft, stroking up and down the length of his hard smoothness. She felt a rush knowing she literally had her boss wrapped around her fingers.

“Oh” A soft groan fell from Paul’s lips. Fiona heard the noise and was sure Stephanie had heard it as well.

“Are you alright?”

“Absolutely.” Paul gritted his teeth flashed a quick smile at his wife. “Just torn up over these cuts.”

Fiona leaned forward and let the warmth of her breath brush over the fleshy head of his cock. She signaled what was to come next and she felt his legs twitch next to her. In one swift motion, she flicked her soft tongue out to press against the heaviness of Paul’s cock.

“Oh, well hun, I only have you do them cause you handle them way better than I do…” Stephanie chuckled. “Did they all go okay? I know some were tough to let go, like that Fiona. She was such a sweetie.”

“Oh yeah, total… saint.” He grunted and cleared his throat as he felt the woman’s tongue begin to swirl around the head of his cock. “I just couldn’t let her go.”

Fiona decided to reward the man with a trail of soft, wet kisses trailing from the tip of his member, all the way to the hilt. The dull throbbing between her legs became a full ache. She knew she had to play the long game with Paul though. She was sure there was a lot to gain from the man if she had him begging for more.

“What?” Stephanie gasped. “You didn’t fire all the people on the list?”

She slid her tongue down the shaft, wrapping her lips around the girth. The salty taste of pre-cum grazed her tongue as she began to suck softly, bobbing up and down. Paul’s grip loosened entirely on her other hand. She used it to softly cup his balls, massaging them as he tried to keep his composure above the desk.

“Yes. God, I mean no.” Paul continued to impress Fiona with his acting, despite the obvious crack in his demeanor, he was not letting on too much to his wife.  “Fiona was just  _ too _ damn good. I had to keep her around.”

“You realize we’ll have to let someone else go in her place, right? My dad is super strict about these damn cuts.” Stephanie couldn’t believe her husband.

“She’s just  _ so _ good.” Paul’s hand reached under the desk and grabbed a fistful of Fiona’s dark tresses. He forcefully pulled her head closer to her crotch, making her take his full length. Fiona tried her hardest to keep from gagging, but couldn’t help but choke on his cock. Spit dripped from her thick lips and onto the grey material of his pants.

Paul coughed loudly to mask the sounds coming from underneath the desk.

“She seemed like a great candidate for a promotion, actually.”

“And how would you know?”

“I always see her staying late, I heard she even comes on the weekends.” Paul’s hand guided her head back and forth once again, quickening her pace. “Anyone that dedicated deserves a promotion.”

Fiona felt Paul’s cock throb around her lips, she knew he was close. His hand gripped tighter at her hair. She pursed her lips around him as she worked his cock in near silence. It took every ounce of self-control for Paul to keep his mouth shut as he got lost in sensation of Fiona’s warm, wet tongue feverishly stroking his member. It wasn’t long before she felt his thighs tense around her and his dick twitch before releasing short streams of warm, salty cum against her tongue.

“Fine, I guess. Just keep me in the loop about that before you go around slinging promotions.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Paul teased, with a heavy sigh.

“Well I guess I’ll be here a little late looking for a replacement to cut. I’ll be back when I’m ready to head home.” And with that, the woman clicked out of her husband’s office.

Almost as soon as the door closed behind her, Paul pushed away from his desk. Fiona was met with an incredulous glare. She only shrugged and wiped her lips before rising and re-buttoning her shirt.

“Are you insane?” Paul stood towering over Fiona, tucking his now-limp member into his pants and buttoning them.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.” Fiona raised a challenging brow.

“That doesn’t matter. How would you like it if I gave you a taste of your own medicine?” Paul narrowed the gap between them, giving a menacing glare beneath his prominent brow.

Fiona grinned and took her que. She stepped away from the heavily panting man. “You’re going to have to earn that, Mr. Levesque.” And with those parting words, she left his office, a confident smirk on her lips.

She knew she had the man at her disposal and she knew that was more than enough to get back at Joe. 

 

Present Day

 

Fiona studied the door to her fiancee’s office, remembering the first time she stepped through it fondly. Things had changed considerably since then. She took a deep breath and stepped through the door without a knock, ready to take on whatever waited for her on the other side of that door. 


	6. Chapter 6

Paul sat hunched over his mahogany desk, his hand ran through his short buzz-cut hair as he waited for his fiancée to arrive in his office. His head snapped up when he heard the clicks of Fiona’s heels against the wooden floors. Mid-day sun shone through the large windows beside him, exaggerating the deep wrinkles on his forehead and the exhaustion sagging his eyes. Fiona felt an echo of guilt rattle in her chest when she saw the distraught man. She did this to him.

 

“Hey.” Fiona said weakly, slowly sinking into the seat before his desk. If she hadn’t taken a Xanax earlier that day, she would have felt her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

 

“I’ve been calling you all day. Where have you been?” Paul massaged the wrinkles in his forehead, making the lines wrinkle and straighten with every motion.

 

“My phone’s broken, cracked screen. I have to get it fixed soon.” She scratched behind her ear, looking away from the man as the half-lie passed her lips.

 

“I’ll just buy you a new one.” He snapped.

 

There was silence for a moment. It was more of a response than if Paul opened his mouth to speak. He was a master at making Fiona uncomfortable with his silence. He only did this sparingly, and when it happened, Fiona knew it was intentional.

 

“Did you need me for something?” She treaded lightly, eyeing his body for any sign of frustrations. His large body tensed up. His breath was hitched before he let out a long exhale.

 

“Fiona. Why are you taking Xanax? And Stephanie’s prescription, no less.” His gruff voice echoed through the room. He slammed the near-empty bottle of the drug on the desk before him.

 

It was Fiona’s turn to catch a hitch in her breath. She suddenly felt as if the effects of the pill were beginning to subside immediately. She nervously clawed at the ends of her dress, sweat coating her palms. Paul noticed her acute reaction, looking down at her hands and again at her round face. He pressed himself out of his seat behind the desk and kneeled before her, clasping her hands in his own.

 

“Fi, I know I was harsh the other day, but I meant what I said.” He crouched lower, hoping to catch the woman’s gaze. She saw the concern in his hooded eyes. “I fell for a woman who took care of her own. I love you Fi, but I need you to get it together. And not using prescription drugs as a crutch.”

 

Her eyes glossed over, tears beginning to form as she clutched onto Paul’s large hands.

 

“I just…” She took a breath and closed her eyes. She couldn’t handle the broken look he was giving her. Paul loved Fiona more than she loved him, and the guilt in knowing that was killing her. The nature of their relationship was plain as day when they first began to fool around, but once Stephanie passed, she felt a shift. Paul grew more adoring of Fiona, and she quickly felt as if the man was only using her as an emotional crutch. “… I just started to take them, thinking they would calm me down. You know, give me a clearer mind.”

 

“That's just the thing Fi, I don’t know what’s making you like this. You’re up, you’re down, you’ve been acting so out of character lately, and I just need you present. What has been going on?”

 

She hesitated before she spoke, calculating her words before speaking. She knew Paul wouldn’t take lightly to any allusion of someone stalking her. He’d want to know why, and letting him be privy to any part of that mess was the last thing she wanted. She swallowed the truth and mustered her most convincing gaze. “I’m just nervous about the wedding, I guess. It’s been hard managing that and fixing our projections…”

 

“Are you sure that's all?”

 

“I am. I just felt like the pills would help, and they have. Babe, really.” She reached for his face, her thumb grazed his beard. “I’ve been able to think clearly, and get so much more done. I’m not on the verge of panic all the time. I really think it’s helping. It’s no crutch. I swear.”

 

He eyed her suspiciously before a deep sigh escaped his lips. The tension seemed to deflate from his body with the breath.

 

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get you your own prescription…” He paused and lifted Fiona’s head by her chin. “I’m going to need you to stop bringing _her_ up though, Fi. I mean it.”

 

He practically growled the command, shaking Fiona to her core. His gaze was unrelenting, threatening the unmentionable. She knew who he meant by _her_. She knew he meant Stephanie. She nodded briskly.

 

He released her chin.

 

“I’ll make a call and get you whatever prescription you need.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Just promise I’ll have my girl back before the wedding.”

 

Fiona nodded again, wrapping her arms around the man’s large frame. She blinked away her tears and inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of Paul’s cologne. He cocooned her in his large arms, and for a moment, Fiona felt safe again, as if nothing were looming around the corner, ready to tear her world apart.

 

2 Days Later

It was a late night on a Thursday, Fiona sat at the edge of her king-sized bed in an oversized t-shirt that belonged to Paul. She stared at her open suitcase with dresses strewn about it. She couldn’t focus on what to pack, all she could focus on was her phone. She glanced at it practically every minute. She was thankful that Paul bought her a replacement so that she could see the screen clearly.

Despite Fiona’s steady consumption of pills, she was not numbed to the growing anger she felt toward her friend Evelyn. Evelyn was completely unaware of Fiona’s relationship with Joe, and so Fiona knew that rationally, she couldn’t show any malice toward her friend. Joe, however was a completely acceptable target for her frustrations. While he had never met Evelyn before, he knew that she was Fiona’s closest friend. The gall he had to openly flirt in front of Fiona had her fuming.

 

She refrained from sending a text to him, in fear of giving her blackmailer any more evidence. But she patiently waited by her phone more and more as the days went on. She hoped he would try saying something – anything - to her. He never called or texted. Her phone was dry over the last two days, even her harasser had stopped sending texts. Perhaps they realized she had stopped caring about them entirely. She no longer had the anxious energy to wonder about it.

 

Suddenly the phone illuminated, and began to vibrate violently against the soft burgundy sheets. Fiona quickly scrambled to see who was calling her, and her face fell when she saw Eve’s name on the screen. She sighed and answered. The woman was in charge of her bachelorette party after all, there was no way she could ignore her the day before it was scheduled.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ayye! How’s my soon-to-be wifed up wifey?” Fiona distanced her phone away from her ear. Evelyn’s voice cracked through the receiver.

 

“I’m alright. Just uh- Just packing.” She motioned to the mess of clothes piled on her luggage. She fought the urge to ask about Joe, she knew it would only make her angry. Evelyn was never one to filter out the dirty details of her exploits.

 

“Okay, well I just wanted to let you know you should definitely pack that dress I sent you.” Fiona could hear the smile stretching the woman’s red lips on the other end. She felt a rush of anger pulse through her. “I know it’s not really your style, but you’ve gotta show out tomorrow night. You can’t be all stuck up marketing exec when we get to Miami, alright? I need college-you ready to throw it in a circle!”

 

Fiona rolled her eyes. If she didn’t know any better she would’ve guessed her friend belonged in the ring on a mic, cutting a promo every moment of her life. Fiona was certain Evelyn was more excited about the wedding and bachelorette party than she was.

 

“Dress? I never received a dress.”

 

“You definitely should have gotten in by now. Check with Paul, maybe?”

 

“Alright, well. I’ll ask him and let you know if it’s here. Thanks.” Fiona’s was flat, devoid of any real emotion. If her voice faltered in the slightest, she knew she would crack, and unleash a rant that no friend should ever receive, especially if it wasn’t entirely deserved.

 

“You alright Fi? I know we haven’t really caught up much since I got here, but-“

 

“Nope, I’m all good. I’ll check on the dress and get some sleep. Goodnight.” The words brushed past her lips so smoothly and swiftly, that Evelyn had no real chance to respond. Fiona knew this, and abruptly hung up on her friend. She couldn’t begin to imagine how she was going to endure an entire weekend with the woman. With a roll of her eyes she propelled herself off of her bed with phone in hand. She made her way downstairs toward the kitchen. She knew Paul would be in there, fixing his usual concoctions of recovery drinks after his late-night workout.

 

She stepped into the brightly lit white kitchen, and admired her fiancée’s body from afar. Beads of sweat peppered the man’s forehead and shoulders. He stood shirtless in the kitchen, unabashedly exposing his broad, well chiseled torso. Ripple after ripple of muscle adorned his golden, sweat-sheened chest. A defined ‘v’ lead to the hem of his black sweatpants. While she knew she took Paul for granted, she always appreciated the man’s dedication to his body.

 

“Hey, sweetheart.” He smiled, wrinkles pressed into his forehead as his brows raised. “What are you still doing up? Your flights early tomorrow, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to see if you got saw any mail this morning?” She sat across Paul at the island, watching intently as his hands expertly poured precise measurements of powders into a shaker. His movements were almost mechanical, so rehearsed.

 

“You know what, I did. Forgot to grab it from the door.” He left for a moment, and returned back just as quickly with two medium-sized boxes and one envelope. “Two for you, and one for me.”

 

He placed one box and one envelope in front of Fiona. He took the smaller box of the two and began to peel away the tape at the seams. She did the same with her box. She pulled out a red wrap-around dress, fashioned with a plunging neckline and high slit. Fiona shook her head, covering her face in embarrassment.

 

“Will you look at this? Evelyn literally wants me to look like a hooker.” She rolled her eyes and flung the dress back into the box. “And she wonders why no guy treats her-”

 

Fiona’s lips stopped mid-sentence when she heard Paul’s usually-gruff voice crack.

 

“Is this- Are you…?”

 

Her brown eyes snapped up from the dress in the box to Paul. The sight was one that she’d never seen from the usually even-tempered man. One large hand clasped his forehead. His tired eyes were wide and tearful. She followed his gaze to the pregnancy test in his shaking hand.

 

Her jaw dropped.

 

_What the fuck?_

“Are you pregnant Fi?” He swallowed, looking to a shocked Fiona. The larger man couldn’t help but smile as he looked to his fiancée. She saw the boundless joy in his face when he looked at her. “Are you really?”

 

“No! God no!” She reached across the island to snatch the test from the man’s hand. Upon examining the test, she saw two distinctive pink lines in the small plastic window. She frowned, unable to piece why Paul was sent a positive pregnancy test.

 

Her jaw tightened and eyes widened.

 

“Wheres the box? Who sent this to you?” She snapped, scrambling to his side of the island, searching for the box it was sent in. She grabbed the box from the floor, and frantically examined the non-descript brown box. She only spotted the front, it only read in dark sharpie:

 

**For Paul Levesque**

 

No mailing address, not even Fiona’s address was listed on the box. She knew it was hand delivered by her harasser, and not a postal service with such little information. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as her mind raced.

 

“Wait…You’re not pregnant?” Paul’s voice fell. “Then what the fuck is this about? Who sent this?”

 

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Fiona’s eyes narrowed as her gaze fell on the white envelope on the other side of the marble island. She realized she couldn’t tip her fiancé off to her stalker. She regrouped and mustered her most convincing voice. “Probably some troll or something.”

 

She slowly made her way to the envelope on the other side, and examined the front of it. As expected, it was very similar to the box Paul received. The only marking on the envelope was in black sharpie:

 

**Fiona Raneri**

“Well did they _troll_ you too? What’s in your envelope?” Paul frowned, leaning over to see the packet in her hands. She swiftly pressed it to her chest, and flashed a smile.

 

“No, I was expecting this. It’s my uh-” She searched the space around her for an inspiration for her lie. “-recipe. I had Joanna write it down for me and drop it off here.”

 

Fiona realized how ridiculous the words sounded as they clumsily tumbled out of her mouth. Paul raised an eyebrow, eyeing the fidgeting woman up and down.

 

“I should bring this up and get it packed up.” She grabbed the box with the dress in it, and quickly scampered up the stairs. Once she made it to the bedroom, she threw the box to the floor and ripped open the envelope.

 

The envelope revealed a photo of Fiona in a dark down coat and sweatpants. Her head was ducked low. Big sunglasses hid half of her face, despite the snow on the ground around her. Although most of her face was covered, her lips were in a low frown. She looked distraught, exhausted, remorseful. A screaming brunette woman stood behind Fiona. The woman held a large white sign that read “Abortion is murder” in dripping red letters.

 

Fiona felt a familiar twisting in her stomach. It was then that she realized her stalker knew more about her than they had originally let on. The only thing was, she didn’t know what else they knew.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

_What do you want from me?_

Fiona’s thumbs scrambled over the letters on her phone. Her hands shook violently. She couldn’t believe that her pursuer was bold enough to send things to her fiancée. Over the last few days, she assumed the texts were just empty threats. That assumption was a way to cope. Along with the pills, she was able to mostly ignore the short texts that appeared sporadically.

 

That illusion was shattered when two packages arrived at her home, especially with one specifically addressed to Paul.

 

Fiona barricaded herself in the master bath in order to avoid her inquisitive fiancée. She sat on the floor, against the sink’s counter with her knees to her chin.

 

Paul hadn’t yet come to the bedroom to pry about the positive pregnancy test he received. Fiona knew the man well enough to know he wouldn’t let this go, especially with all the other weird behavior he’s been noticing from her. After trying to call the assailant’s number numerous times and being met with no voicemail, she resorted to texting again.

 

_This isn’t funny. Who are you and what do you want?_

It only took a few moments for three dots to pulse on her screen, indicating the start of a response. She anticipated, staring intently at the icon, waiting for an answer.

 

_I want you to tell the truth._

_The whole truth._

 

Fiona scoffed before texting back, mashing her thumbs into the screen in anger.

 

_I’m done with Joe. There’s nothing to tell._

The three dots pulsed again, but for a much shorter time before their response appeared.

 

_Keep telling yourself that, Fiona._

 

She placed her phone faced down and threw her head back against the sink’s cabinet. She grabbed the envelope from her tormentor, and glanced at the photo once more. She choked back a sob as she studied her distraught former self. She remembered the emotions from that day just as sharply as if they had happened only moments ago…

 

December 16, 2015 8:15AM

                                        

Joe stood over Fiona as she retched into the toilet. Her weak body trembled underneath Joe’s massive hand on her back. He rubbed her back reassuringly and held her thick dark locks away from her face.

 

Only moments before the two were arguing over her being with Paul. Fiona didn’t waste time telling Joe about her newest relationship with the married man. Joe of course didn’t take lightly to it. Surprisingly, the man was insistent on visiting the woman’s Stamford apartment more often. Fiona had seen Joe more often in the last 3 months than in the prior 6 when she was only seeing Joe exclusively. While the two did seem to grow closer in the last three months, Joe was still sore from time to time about Paul. He was possessive. Only when another man was involved did he realize the relationship he wanted with Fiona was something _he actually wanted_.

 

The tables seemed to have turn, however. Fiona insisted on keeping their relationship a secret, now that she was involved with a man who would allow her an easier climb to the top of the corporate ladder.

 

When Joe spotted yet another expensive piece of jewelry gifted by his boss for Fiona, he immediately became enraged. He was mid-rant when Fiona rushed to the bathroom, one hand over her mouth with the other over her stomach. He rushed in after her. All thoughts about his rant evaded his mind in the moments he saw the woman become sick. This was the second time the Samoan had seen Fiona get sick this suddenly in the last month.

 

Thoughts of a pregnancy were not completely out of speculation, but Joe dared not to mention it or allow it to become a complete thought. He allowed his lover to present a weak excuse and he took it as gospel. He was hopeful that the worst would not be true. The man didn’t know if he’d be more upset that he was a father before he was ready to be, or if Fiona would be pregnant by another man.  Despite the fears, he cast them aside as he soothed her gently.

 

“You alright?” He pulled back a few more dark strands of her hair.

 

“Yep.” She gasped, reaching up to flush the toilet. “Must have been something I ate.”

 

She began to rinse out her mouth in the sink, spitting out the rancid taste profusely.

 

“You need me to stick around tonight? The next taping isn’t until tomorrow, and I rented out a car-“

 

“Its alright, I have to get going for work anyways.” She rushed out of the restroom and began to rummage through her small closet for her work clothes.

 

“Fiona.” The man’s husky voice called, his dark eyes pleaded with hers silently. He didn’t want to say anything more, but the woman already knew what he was implying.

 

 _Please don't tell me you’re pregnant_.

 

Fiona only gave the man a small smile before turning back to her wardrobe.

 

She knew she was with child. What’s more, she was 13 weeks along. Her doctor told her it was the size of a peach at that point. Thankfully, she hadn’t start to show quite yet, but the idea of a peach-sized child inside her didn’t make her feel any better about what was to come.

 

When Fiona found out last week, she knew what she had to do. She called Eve for some words of support, never really alluding to who the father may be. She just needed a friend.

 

Fiona couldn’t stand thinking about what was to come later that day, but she tried to suppress the thoughts. In her mind, her life would be infinitely easier without the complication of a child. Additionally, a paternity test wouldn’t fare well with Paul, and he was the last person she needed on his bad side. While Fiona did long for a family in her future, she didn’t want it with drama and chaos and infidelity running amok. She wanted a husband, a house, a stable career. And while she was in the process of solidifying those things through her relationship with Paul, she had yet to achieve any of those things fully.

 

“Do you need a ride to the Titan Towers? I’ve got a rental I could-“

 

“I’m good Joe. I should get going.” She began to change out of her pajamas and into her work clothes hastily. Despite his deep gaze fixed on her she ignored it, and kept her head low.

 

2:45PM

Stephanie McMahon called Fiona into her office for a debriefing. It had been 3 months into her newest position as a Marketing Coordinator. Despite the promotion, Fiona often felt inadequate for the job at hand. She would never betray that fact to her employer or anyone else for that matter. While she was used to working under pressure, she never imagined being in her situation.

 

“So I thought that you would be a good candidate for coordinating the PPV merch sales campaign.  We just got the numbers on TLC, so I’ll have a trainee get those to you.” Stephanie sat behind her oak desk, it was sturdy, but not foreboding. This was in a stark contrast to Paul’s desk. Fiona had spent plenty of time on his desk, and the thought of that in Stephanie’s presence simmered guilt deep within her.

 

 

 

A twisting started in her stomach. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what was about to happen. Her mind raced as she tried to think of the nearest restroom. However, when the bile began to ascend she knew that she wouldn’t make it in time. Her hands flung for the black wastebin beside Stephanie’s desk, just before she began to retch into it.

 

 

“Oh my!” Stephanie exclaimed, springing out of her seat and over to the sick woman. She watched in horror for a moment before the gears began to turn in her mind. She had seen this before, and she had been through this herself. She knew exactly what was happening with Fiona, and it wasn't a sudden illness that had struck.

 

The older woman’s brow creased with concern as she ducked low and began to rub a consoling hand across Fiona’s heaving back.

 

“How far along are you?” Her soothing voice came over Fiona. In that moment, the woman was ironically thankful her head was hidden deep in a wastebin of her own bile. The expression on her face was one of shock and pity.

 

“What do you mean?” She spat before lifting her head. She graciously took the tissue Stephanie offered her and dabbed at her raw lips.

 

“Fiona, I know morning sickness when I see it.”

 

She slumped in her chair, hiding her face in her hands. It was bad enough that her boss knew about the unwanted pregnancy. Things only made Fiona feel worse when the child in question could potentially be Paul’s. She was too weak to feign ignorance, and so she sighed deeply and bowed her head.

 

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

 

“Of course not!” She chuckled. “It’s not my news to tell!”

 

Fiona made a point to make eye contact with her boss. She had to make herself perfectly clear.

 

“I mean it Steph, not even Paul.”

 

Stephanie frowned for a moment, before slowly nodding her head. She was taken a back by the directness of Fiona’s stare, but decided not to think too much of it. A tight smile came to her lips, and her hand quickly retracted from Fiona’s back.

 

“Well Fiona, if there’s anything you need at all, please just let me know.”

 

The sincerity in Stephanie’s voice made Fiona’s chest hurt. Despite Fiona’s rash decision to sleep with the woman’s husband, she had always felt an affinity for her. Stephanie had always kept a professional distance from Fiona’s personal life. However she did recognize the woman’s work ethic, and vouched for her when she could. She was the closest person Fiona had to a friend in the company. Fiona could never tell if that was because she was one of the few employees that never got fired, or if it was because she genuinely had amicable feelings toward her.

 

Regardless, Fiona spent countless nights losing sleep when she first began her secret trysts with Paul. It wasn’t long before she was able to put the guilt out of her mind. She began to think of Stephanie as more of a boss than an acquaintance. Stephanie, of course, never got the memo.

 

“I’ll be fine Steph. Thanks.” Fiona was short. She tucked her loose curls into her tight ponytail and stood. “Anything else? I have to get to an appointment soon.”

 

“Oh, uhm… No. No, I suppose we’re all set then.”

 

Fiona quickly turned away and made a hasty exit. She was quick to leave the concerned stare her boss was giving her. Her body couldn’t handle the rush of emotions and sensations rushing through her mercilessly.

 

She navigated through a maze of cubicles before darting into the women’s restroom and barricading herself into a stall. The searing threat of tears stung at the corner of her eyes as she slumped against the cool metal door of the stall. In only a few hours she would no longer feel so heavy with guilt. She would no longer feel as if she were robbing herself of the privilege of motherhood.

 

She would no longer feel like she had to hold another heavy secret from everyone in her life.

 

Present Day

Fiona heard the harsh buzzing of her phone against the porcelain tiles of her bathroom. She rolled her eyes and pawed at the phone. To her surprise Joe’s number scrolled across the screen. Her thumb instinctively sprung to accept the call.

 

“Joe” She breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Fiona, we need to talk.” His voice was steady, but stern.

 

“Sure, just let me go outside first-“

 

“No, I mean you need to come here. I’m up at the Marriot. Room 223.”

 

“What? It’s nearly midnight. I still need to pack, I’ve got a flight at—“

 

“I don’t know what this is all about. But you’ll make time to see me if you really cared, Fi.”

 

And with that, the man hung up. Fiona stared at her phone for a moment, biting her lip. As much as she hated to admit, she needed comfort. Her life had suddenly felt exposed beyond belief, and there was no telling what else would be uncovered. She longed for the simple moments she shared with Joe, without a constant fear of being found out. And despite her previous insistence that Joe stay far away from her, she felt vulnerable in those moments. She needed him.


	8. Chapter8

Fiona felt as if she heard her heart thudding against her chest amidst the silence of the Marriot’s hallway. She stared nervously at her feet. Her toes wriggled in the pink house-slippers she slipped on just before sliding out of the back door of her and Paul’s home. She didn’t spare any time to get ready for her secret rendezvous with Joe, she knew she had to move quickly before her fiancée spotted her leaving the home.

 

Her silent drive to the Marriot allowed her too much space to think. She hated it, and blasted the radio once she was a safe distance away from her home. She never thought she would ever have to sneak away from her home again once she went away for college. But there she was, timidly shooting looks up and down an empty hallway in nothing but a bathrobe, hoping not to be caught.

 

After a preliminary breath, she knocked on the beige door with the golden numbers 223 plastered across.

 

Her foot tapped incessantly on the red carpet as she waited for Joe to answer the door. She arrived as quickly as she could have, but her anxiety toyed with the thought of the man having fallen asleep already.

 

The thought was cast away as the door opened partially to reveal Joe’s handsome face. His warm brown eyes looked distraught under his furrowed brow. He reached for her hand, and swiftly brought her into his hotel room without a word.

 

Once in the room, she immediately darted towards the windows overlooking the empty light-speckled streets of downtown Stamford. She snatched the dark curtains shut, weary of her stalker outside potentially watching.

 

She wasn’t even able to turn around. Joe’s warm breath snaked down her neck, and she felt the heat of his body against her back. She expected to feel his arms wrap around her in that moment, but they never came.

 

“Why was there a positive pregnancy test and a note saying to call you left on my bed?” His voice was low. She could hear him straining to keep it steady.

 

She bit her lip hard, stopping herself from screaming out in frustration. Her stalker had a lot of nerve reaching out to Paul, but Joe was just adding insult to injury.

 

The woman turned to face the taller man, his tired eyes narrowed as he looked for any tell in her face. She couldn't help but take in the sight of the man. His dark, wavy tendrils shone with water, dripping onto his broad shoulders. Shiny beads of water trailed down his bare chest, dipping and rising over the many ripples of his muscles. She stopped herself from following the trail when they led to the white towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

 

“Fiona. Come on, I didn’t call you over here for that. I need to know what the hell this is all about.” He snapped, halting Fiona’s indulgent stare down.

 

She jumped slightly before hugging her arms tightly around her waist.

 

“I’m-I’m sorry. I don’t know why you got those things.” Her eyes darted to the floor.

 

“What do you mean? Is this your sick way of telling me your knocked up or something?” His hand gestured to the bed, the test and handwritten note lay next to each other. Fiona only glanced briefly, but knew exactly who sent these items by the black sharpie on the note.

 

“No! No. Joe, I’m not pregnant! I didn’t send this to you.”

 

“Okay, then why is the pregnancy test positive? What is that all about?”

 

Fiona looked away for a moment. She didn't want Paul to know about the abortion from 2 years ago, and she didn’t want Joe to know either. She tried her best to display a confused expression as she shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I don’t know, Joe.”

 

“Alright… and who came in here and put these on my bed?” His voice raised, Fiona flinched. “This is messed up. And I’m having a real hard time believing it wasn’t you.”

 

“Excuse me?!” Fiona’s face twisted into a terrifying scowl. “You cannot be serious. I haven’t heard from or spoken to you in a week. And you’re telling me that I would sneak into your room and pull something like this? Really?”

 

“If you didn’t do this then who did?”

 

Fiona couldn't tell if it was the heat of the conversation or the mention of her assailant was making her heart thud. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

 

“You remember when I told you that I thought someone was watching us?” She ran a hand through her dark curls, pushing them away from her face. “Well, I think its them. It has to be. They’ve been terrorizing me non-stop and now they’re going so far as to send these to you and Paul.”

 

Something changed in Joe’s face. Fiona couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it seemed as though it was recognition. This only lasted for a moment, before his face retracted to a tired expression.

 

“What? What is it?” She asked, taking a step closer to him.

 

He immediately took a step back, and covered his face with one large hand.

 

“Listen, about that—” He groaned and threw his head back “You know what? It’s just better to show you.” He turned away and went for the closet, rummaging through his suitcases.

 

Fiona frowned as she stared at the Samoan, frantically looking for an unknown object. She couldn’t fathom how the man had such a burst of energy in the middle of the night. She was exhausted. She was dreading her 5 AM alarm that was set to go off in only 4 more hours. She decided to sit down at the small table beside her and rest her legs while she waited for Joe to find whatever mystery item he needed. Her eyelids became heavy with sleep as they began to flutter shut. A spot of red caught her eye just as they were about to close.

 

The hue was alarming because it felt so… familiar. She knew the shade of red anywhere. It graced her closest friend’s lips every day, there was no mistaking it. Fiona’s round eyes only narrowed when she saw the rouge was smeared unceremoniously on the collar of a stray t-shirt.

 

Evelyn.

 

Fiona felt her face become uncomfortably hot as her hand coiled into a tight fist. Joe did not call Fiona there to spend time with her, to console her, to chase her like he used to. No. He only called because her assailant decided to include him in on the fun. Had they never left the pregnancy test on his bed, how long would Joe have gone without speaking to Fiona? Whats worse, how long would he have continued to see Evelyn? The thought disgusted her enough. She sprang from her seat and charged straight for the door, brushing past the larger man.

 

“Woah, woah. Fi, where are you going?!” His arm caught the curvy woman by the waist just before she reached the door.

 

“I just came here because you told me to.” Fiona’s breath caught in her throat around the lump that was beginning to form. She swallowed hard, hoping to dispel any potential sobs threatening to come forth. “And we cleared everything up. So I’m going to go now.”

 

“No! Fi, I really think you should see this.”

 

“I’ve seen enough. Bye Joe.” She turned to leave, but the man’s grip only tightened around her waist.

 

“What the fuck are you talking about? What’s gotten into you?” His eyes narrowed.

 

She flinched at his sharp tone. He didn’t curse at her often but when he did, she noticed. She recovered quickly and decided to return the sharpness.

 

“I think the better question is ‘What’s gotten into you?’” She slapped his hand away from her waist and took a step away from him. “I know I told you to keep a low profile, but fucking my best friend and pretending I don't exist? All in one week? Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

Joe’s lips stretched into a sarcastic grin. A slow, deep laugh came from his chest as he stroked his beard.

 

“Ohhhh, you can’t be serious, Fiona.”

 

She only stood with an incredulous expression warping her soft features. She couldn’t believe the reaction she was getting from him.

 

“We’ve been back and forth on this for two years, Fiona. Two years. You go and fuck our boss, and then in a shocking turn of events decide to get married to the bastard. All while still fucking around with me.” His large hand jutted into his hard, gleaming chest. “But the one time I decide to move on from this game of ‘fuck how Joe really feels’ you get angry with me? Fuck that.”

 

“I think you’re forgetting a pretty big part of this whole sob story, Joe. Remember how you refused to acknowledge this as a real relationship for half a year?!” Her voice teetered dangerously on the edge of cracking.

 

“Yeah, cause I wanted people to look at me and think that I actually worked ass off to get where I am today. Not that I slept with someone in corporate to get to the top.”

 

“Oh and am I supposed to feel bad for doing that? They were going to _fire_ me Joe, I did what I had to do to stay in the company, to make money to support my family back home!”

 

“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you were meant to be fired, Fi? Maybe things would have gone differently, and we could have been a real couple?” His voice softened only slightly, but Fiona chose to ignore it.

 

“Well that’s just tough. Things didn’t turn out that way, and instead of anything real, you just fuck my best friend within a week of knowing her!”

 

“Alright Fiona, you want this to stop? You want me to drop any chance at something real with someone else? Prove it.” He closed the gap between them in one smooth step. She could smell the fresh scent of his shampoo and soap as he came closer. He loomed over her, still slightly dripping from the shower he must have taken before she arrived. “If you really want me all to yourself, if you really want this relationship then now’s your chance. Tell me and I’ll let her go.”

 

She absorbed his aroma and heat, she couldn’t help but feel lost in the light scent and body heat so close to her own body. She stared into his eyes, they didn’t betray any sense of rescinding on the statement. Maybe he was serious this time. She couldn’t stare into his eyes for much longer after that, and so her eyes darted to the carpet below them. Perhaps it was the heat of the argument, or the sight of the Samoan man half-naked and dripping, but Fiona felt the overwhelming urge to spring forward and kiss the man.

 

She only hesitated for a moment when she imagined her stalker lurking in the shadows, ready with a camera or a phone to expose her even more. The thought was cast away quickly when she glanced up to see the Samoan bite his lower lip softly. His warm brown eyes practically reeled her in. Her lips pressed harshly against his own. The two melted in that moment, their power struggle only demonstrated in the back and forth of their tongues fighting against each other.

 

Joe seemed to gain the upper hand for just a moment, when he took Fiona by surprise by grabbing her waist and driving her backwards, into a chair beside a small table. She gasped, feeling her body reel backwards by the strong force that was Roman’s hands. He pulled away from the panting woman, practically feeling the steady throbbing of her heart emanating from her. He met her lusty gaze with one of his own.

 

The large man’s lips slowly moved toward her amber-toned neck, carefully placing kisses on her skin. She felt his soft lips pressed against the sensitive neck and a tingle made its way through her body. Pulsing, tingles, pulsing. Her body felt as if it were on a cycle of dizzying sensations. This was certainly something she yearned for in the few nights she was away from Joe.

 

Joe’s mouth trailed down her neck, soft yet precise. He knew where to send the next wave of sensations. His hands pulled her robe away from her shoulders, letting the material slide off of her skin, dropping at her waist. His hands deftly slid underneath her loose shirt, he could obviously tell it was Paul’s. Upon discovering this, he unceremoniously pulled the tshirt off of her body.

 

He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of the flush woman, her ample breasts rising and falling in anticipation. He quickly moved to her neck once more, allowing his tongue to drag across the skin, tasting the slight saltiness. The slight suction that she felt only trailed lower and lower until his lips reached the peaks of her taut nipples. He deftly caught one in his warm mouth, wrapping his soft lips around her flesh. His velvety tongue brushed across, sending even more tingles across her body. His hands cupped and softly caressed her warm skin, his rhythmic suckling and groping only made Fiona imagine the man’s rhythmic thrusts. She fantasized about what she was sure to happen next.

 

A breathy moan escaped her lips in response to Joe’s deep hum. He took the sound as an invitation to venture lower.

 

Fiona threw her head back and closed her eyes. She reveled in the heightened sensation of Joe’s lips stamping her skin, from her nipples, across her stomach, over her belly button only to dip to the border of her underwear. His fingers swiftly peeled the elastic away, slipping them down her legs. The heat of his breath grazed her pussy. She bit her lip in anticipation. She knew Joe’s tongue was skilled, and anticipated the pleasure to come.

But the warmth suddenly dissipated.

 

Fiona opened her eyes and glanced down to see the handsome man’s piercing gaze. His large hands gripped her waist staunchly. She couldn’t quite read his expression. He rose from his post on the ground below her and leveled his gaze with her own, only inches from her face.

 

“Fiona, I need to know that this isn’t just like every other time.”

 

She frowned and flinched at the abruptness of the man’s words.

 

_What the hell is this man talking about?_

“What are you-“

 

“Tell me you are ready to make this a real thing. You’ll quit this whole Paul thing and just be with me. For real.” Nothing in his voice or expression was pleading.

 

Fiona let out a long breath, hoping to decompress the throbbing anticipation between her legs.

 

“You know I can’t do that, babe.” She reached out to stubble of his cheek.

 

He quickly darted away from her hand, and stepped back. The look on his face made Fiona feel dirty. His large chest rose and fell heavily with his breath, he reached up to wipe lips with the back of his hand. Something had noticeably changed in only a few moments. From heat to intense frigidity, Fiona felt incredibly uncomfortable with the disgusted gaze that fell upon her naked and heaving body.

 

“You need to leave.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Nothing was ever able to transport Fiona back to her teenaged years much like sneaking back into her own home at 2 in the morning. But there Fiona was, clutching onto her robe tightly as she slowly and carefully turned the knob to the back door of the house. She silently pleaded with the door, hoping that it would not betray her with a loud creak or squeak. Luckily she was able to sneak back into her home without any alarm from her fiancé. She tiptoed through the home only to see he had fell asleep on the couch watching TV. She felt relief wash over her as she walked past him and toward the stairs. As she passed the large sleeping man, she noticed the positive pregnancy test sitting before him. She quickly grabbed it and decided she would dispose of it later.

 

As much as she liked Paul, she couldn’t imagine herself having a child with the man. His kids hated her enough already, introducing a step-sibling into the picture wouldn’t help her in winning their hearts. She flicked the test into a garbage bin in the kitchen. Paul couldn’t start to get any ideas about starting a family. Fiona would only grow more furious with her stalker if that is what would result of all the harassment.

 

Upon entering her bedroom, she instinctively sprung for the orange bottle of pills on the bedside table. The flurry of emotions dizzying her would soon come to a halt. The white bar fell into her clammy palm and then into her mouth. The chalky taste lingered in her mouth as she dry-swallowed the large pill. She couldn’t wait for the effects to finally kick in.

 

She didn’t want to think about Joe’s sudden and aggressive rejection of her. She didn’t want think about the embarrassment she felt as she gathered her clothes from the floor around her and slinked out of the man’s hotel room. She couldn’t think about her harasser and what else they may know. The impending disaster that was her bachelorette party was going to kick off in only a few hours’ time. Fiona just wanted to quite her mind of the thoughts and emotions, if only for a little while.

 

She fell into the empty bed and waited for the pill to silence it all.

 

The Next Day. 9AM.

 

“Girl, I need you to keep up.” Eve’s voice felt like nails on a chalk board to Fiona.

 

Fiona wanted so badly to enjoy the remnants of her high from the Xanax she took the night previous, but was unable to. Eve had started drinking on the flight the second she got on the plane. Despite her claims, Eve was a lightweight. So, by the second hour of the flight to Miami, she was completely inebriated.

 

Eve’s red lips were stretched into a drunken grin as she emptied the last of her fourth mini bottle of booze into a plastic cup. It was beyond Fiona how she was able to drink this early on a flight. The only reasonable explanation she could come up with was the special treatment they were receiving in first class. She casted apologetic glances to those around her. No one seemed to be nearly as annoyed by Eve, however, and that was aggravating in and of itself.

 

“I need you to stop. The day hasn’t even started yet, and you’re drunk.” Fiona quickly snatched the drink out of her friend’s hand and threw it back in one swig. “ _You’re_ the one throwing this bachelorette party, not me. So try and sober up so you can actually lead this circus, please.”

 

The bitterness of the vodka stung as it slinked down her dry throat. She couldn’t believe Eve was throwing the alcohol back so nonchalantly. Especially so early in the morning.

 

“Fi! I’m trying to have fun! Ever since I got here, you’ve been so high-strung. I don’t know whats even up with you.” She slurred, before turning around in her seat and getting the attention of the passenger behind her. “Excuse me, ma’am, don’t you think this beautiful bride-to-be should be having fun on her way to her own bachelorette party?!”

 

Fiona yanked her friends forearm and brought her back down into her seat with a swift force. She shot her a terrifying look before flashing another apologetic smile to the older woman behind them.

 

“You are so loud. Stop. Seriously, Eve.” She felt like a mother scolding her toddler. Eve gave a pout before crossing her arms over her chest. Moments passed in silence between the two, only the sound of the loud airplane engines filled the space.

 

“I just remember when we were little and would talk about this stuff all the time!”  Evelyn broke the silence “We’d talk about how you would have a big elaborate wedding, and finally move out of Rochester. And we’d be each other’s bridesmaids’ and everything would just fall into place.”

 

Despite Eve’s lazy rendition of their childhood fantasies, Fiona couldn’t help but flash a small smile. The two had always had big imaginations, always dreaming about their futures, and never imagining them without each other.

 

“I just want you to have fun.” She leaned over to hug Fiona, but paused abruptly to cover her mouth with her hand. She motioned with her other hand for Fiona to let her out. She watched as her friend stumbled her way into the bathroom and shook her head.

 

Eve was always the more boisterous of the two. Eve always strived to be the life of the party, no matter where she went. Fiona saw through it as a thinly-veiled attempt to mask her growing alcoholism. This was one of the many reasons Fiona felt as though the weekend would be a disaster. She usually could at least keep up with her friend, but with recent events, things have been more strained than ever. Fiona could barely stand be near her friend anymore.

 

A flashing screen and harsh buzzing noise caught Fiona’s attention out of the corner of her eye. She looked down to see Eve’s phone in her purse. She rolled her eyes when she realized her friend neglected to put it in airplane mode. Joe’s name followed by a string of emojis scrolled across the screen. Why was Joe calling her? Fiona was tempted to grab the phone and answer, just to ask the man why he treated her so oddly last night. But she thought better of it. The phone continued to buzz and illuminate the innards of Eve’s large purse. Fiona couldn’t miss two items in the bag; a black sharpie and a few white envelopes.

 

Fiona’s face contorted into a horrific expression.

 

_Is this bitch the one? Did she send Paul and Joe those letters?_

 

Her hands gripped the metal of her armrests. Thoughts flurried in her mind once again, fighting to find sound logic. Anyone could have black sharpies and envelopes in their bag, its not uncommon. But with last night’s occurrences, it seems as though there is no other explanation, maybe Eve has been the mastermind behind the harassment for all this time. She went back and forth, her heartrate only increasing in that time.

 

“Close call! False Alarm, I’m good!” Eve nudged Fiona to let her back into her seat.

 

The skeptical woman eyed Eve up and down, before eyeing her purse again. Eve could barely stand up, and so she let her into her seat before she actually did vomit all over herself.

 

“What are the envelopes for?” Fiona didn’t mean to be so abrupt, but she needed answers.

 

“What?”

 

“In your purse, you just seem to have a lot in there.”

 

“Oh, I don't even know girl. My purse is like a magnet for random shit, that's why I can’t ever find nothing.”  Eve’s lips stretched into a goofy grin.

 

And suddenly Fiona felt as if she were insane for even thinking Eve would be behind her torment. She was never one to be too serious about anything, and harassing her in such a meticulous and calculated way was not her calling card. That goofy smile said it all, she was just trying to have fun. She dismissed the thought and returned a small smile.

 

_Just grin and bear it. Its only for the weekend._

The rest of the flight Eve stayed relatively quiet. This was a godsend for Fiona. Evelyn was not only a lightweight but had an incredibly short fuse when she was cut off. She could go from an electric energy to a soggy piece of toast in the matter of a few minutes if she wasn’t maintaining her buzz. Fiona became witness to the decline in the final hour of their flight as she watched the smaller woman nearly drift to sleep beside her.

 

She reveled in the few moments of peace, closing her eyes while holding on to the last vestiges of her Xanax high. Just as she felt the effects wear off, she couldn’t help but feel a nagging sensation in her mind. Perhaps she shouldn’t dismiss the contents of Eve’s bag so easily. She tucked away that voice in her head and took a deep breath.

 

_You got this._


	10. Chapter 10

Goosebumps prickled onto Fiona’s clammy skin.

 

Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold.

 

Her nerves were just as scattered as her line of sight. Bright pink and blue lights flashed wildly as bodies gyrated and bounced about the dimly-lit club. The scene reminded her of a pot of water simmering, very rapidly approaching its boiling point. She leaned over the balcony and took in the space. It was all so full of life. Something in her gut made her uneasy, almost afraid that the liveliness was far surpassing its climax. Maybe the water was boiling over.

 

Fiona was able to ignore the hyperactivity at the peak of her buzz.

 

Sickly-sweet, colorful and fragrant drinks slithered down her throat throughout the night. This was first at a normal pace, but increasingly became an alarmingly frequent habit. It wasn’t long before Fiona’s tight bun at the top of her head became a tangled mane around her round face, and her curvy body moved with the rhythms of the bodies and music about her. She maintained her drunken bliss for two hours before she began to feel the hairs on her arm stand on end.

 

It was coming to an end.

 

Fiona debated whether or not to maintain the bliss with another drink, but decided she had played her part well enough for her bridal party. The group was embarrassingly small for Fiona’s taste, but it was to no surprise she could only manage to get her best friend and three sisters. She isolated any potential friends she could make on her climb to the top. Fiona felt no remorse for that. The night in the club was the first time that whole weekend she had any real fun. It was a shame it was the last night in Miami, and it took so long for her to actually enjoy herself.

 

Spa treatments, extravagant meals and pole dancing classes filled the bachelorette party weekend, and yet Fiona felt on edge the entire time.

 

While having her sisters with her for the weekend warmed Fiona’s heart, she couldn’t help but be irritated by Eve’s every move. The red-lipped woman had a way of getting under Fiona’s skin with every interaction. Fiona couldn’t tell if it was intentional or if she was becoming more sensitive to the woman’s loud personality. Either way, Fiona refused to acknowledge she was jealous of her friend. She had an unencumbered chance to be in a relationship with the man who had kicked her out of his hotel only a few nights prior. She had something that Fiona once had: Joe.

 

“Hey loser!” A voice called over the loud bass “Guy at the bar got us a round, take one!”

 

Fiona turned from her perch above the dancefloor and saw her older sister, Ari, with a bright blue shot glass in each hand. A drunken smirk pulled at Ari’s lips as she shoved the small glass into Fiona’s hand, half of the liquid spilled in the process. Her older sister didn’t notice as she knocked her drink back in a quick swig.

 

Fiona was surprised to see her dressed to the nines. She was usually the most casual of the sisters, with her pile of dreads and loose curls in their usual perch atop her head, and bookish glasses on her round face. That night she was in a black romper that hung loosely around her curves, and peppered with sparkling jewelry.

 

The bride-to-be deftly set her shot glass on a table beside her, not in the mood to drink much more. Ari of course didn’t notice.

 

“Where are the twins? I haven’t seen them all night!” The eldest Raneri shouted over the music.

 

“They’re still dancing down there.” Fiona stabbed a thumb over her shoulder. Despite her drunken daze, she was careful to keep an eye on her two younger sisters. They had only recently turned 21, and she didn’t want them to run into any trouble on one of their first night outings. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Annie and Izzy dancing with one another the majority of the night. The girls successfully thwarted off any men trying to get in-between their dancing.

 

“And where’d Eve go? She was just here a few minutes ago.”

 

“You know she wanders when she’s drunk, I’m sure she’s alright.”

 

It had been a while since Fiona and Eve went out together, but when they were younger Eve would constantly go wandering about when she was drunk. Eve once told her she believed if she kept moving she couldn’t pass out as easily. This of course was proven incorrect a handful of times, when Fiona would find Eve passed out in the snow, in fields, and one time even propped up against a wall. Young Eve was a handful when she was inebriated, but Fiona was relieved that she had become less of a hassle now that she was a bit older.

 

None-the-less, Fiona was irritated that the woman still had the habit of wandering off when drunk. She sighed and rolled her eyes when she realized she should probably go find her.

 

“I’ll go find her. Keep an eye on the twins. We can leave in a half-hour or so.”

 

Fiona scanned the sticky black floor for her strappy heels. Despite Fiona thinking the VIP balcony was tacky at first, she was grateful that she was able to kick off her heels when they became unbearable.

 

She clumsily slipped her feet into the sparkling shoes, the dull ache quickly becoming a full-fledged throbbing.

 

Ignoring the shooting pains up her leg, she strutted out of the private lounge and descended the spiral staircase into the mass of pulsing bodies. She elbowed her way through the crowd, looking for Eve’s red lips and kinky curls.  She threw particularly hard jabs to those who stepped on her sore feet as she made her way through. She finally made her way through the humid mob, and resolved to try looking for Eve outside. Spotting the back-exit, she limped her way to it and made it outside.

 

The crisp, cool, air filled Fiona’s lungs and chilled her sweat-dampened skin. The bright energy of the club was quickly silenced in the dark night outside of the building. She closed her eyes and leaned against a nearby brick wall. The cool air was sobering, but not in the way her throbbing feet were. Gentle breezes danced across her exposed chest and down her long legs. She let out a slow exhale and imagined being hugged by the cool breeze. A lazy smile tugged at the corner of her dark-stained lips. There was not a soul in sight, the deadly silence was only interrupted by the occasional sizzle of tires on the asphalt driving by.  She lost herself in the quiet moment.

 

Almost.

 

“You sure you don’t want to come in? I’m sure Fi will be happy to see you.”

 

There was no mistake who the voice belonged to. In an instant, Fiona felt the icy-cool in her veins charge into a rolling boil. Even in her one moment of quiet, Eve was there to ruin it.

 

_At least I know where she is._

Not wanting to interact with her maid of honor, she opened her eyes and quietly tiptoed to the back entrance. Her body froze rigid when she heard another unmistakable voice.

 

“I ain’t here to see her, I came here to see _you_.”

 

His voice was playful, carrying across the air without any hesitation. Fiona recognized the lightness in his voice, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing in her chest. She could practically feel the smile on his lips, he sounded so… happy.

 

Despite her mind wanting to tear away from the scene, her eyes were curious. What was around that corner? Was it really Joe and Evelyn? Maybe he isn’t as happy as he sounds. The doubts the invaded her thoughts only made her feel dizzy. The alcohol was losing it effect, but another vice would make her feel just as unhinged.

 

Jealousy.

 

She slowly moved to the edge of the building, before ducking her head around the corner. Her gaze connected with the sight of Joe, a dark, inked arm around Eve’s waist. He was in his usual post-work gear: a cut off and sweats. It paled in comparison to Eve’s deep red peplum dress.

 

His head bowed low, inky dark waves of hair curtained his handsome face. He towered over Eve, casting her brown skin in even darker shadows, only to be streaked with the occasional deep blue hue of the club lights overhead. Fiona couldn’t see Joe’s eyes, but she didn’t need to. Eve’s smoldering gaze came from under heavy lids and thick, dark lashes. Their bodies were only separated by a slim pocket of air.

 

Heat.

 

Fiona could feel it from her distance, and it was unmistakably scorching between the two beautiful bodies. Her fists curled even tighter into her palms as she watched red lips curl into grin.

 

“Oh, you came all the way to Miami to see me? We only known each other a few weeks, why— ”

 

“No, I came all the way to Miami to do my _job_ , you know, wrestling.” A deep rumble of a laugh echoed in the still night. “I just thought I’d call and pay you a little visit.”

 

“Oh, so you just came to visit? Nothing else?” Her words slurred heavily, but her tone was not lost in her intoxication.

 

“Well I was hoping I could escort you home. Wouldn’t want any other dudes taking advantage.” Fiona could hear his smile again.

 

“ _Escort_ me home?” It was Eve’s turn to laugh. “You no better than other dudes tryin to take advantage. But you know what? I am getting pretty tired…  I should be headed home.”

 

“Nah, no funny business, I’ll just take you home. You are too damn drunk for anything else.”

 

Eve whined and batted at the man’s chest playfully. The action nearly threw her entire body out of balance. Joe’s arm tensed around her waist to steady her.

 

“I’m the host of the party. Can’t leave.”

 

“I think they’ll understand it if you got sick and went home early.”

 

“I guess you’ve got a point there.” She leaned in for a quick kiss. “I’ll go get my purse. Be back in a bit.”

 

Eve turned and began to clumsily strut toward Fiona. The bride-to-be darted back, hoping her drunken maid of honor hadn’t caught her spying. She scrambled to get back into the club, and began yanking the door handle. Her body recoiled when the door didn’t budge, it was locked. She cursed when she realized she used the back exit. Her eyes darted wildly, searching for a contingency as she her the clicks of Eve’s heels approach her, louder and louder. She felt her heart race with every new step.

 

And then the clicking stopped.

 

Fiona’s sweaty palms slipped from the door handle, and she sighed heavily.

 

“Fi?”

 

She turned to see her friend, thankfully with no Joe behind her. “Hey, Eve. Just needed to uh—Get some fresh air.” The lie stumbled past her lips.

 

“Oh, me too…” Eve’s lie slurred past with a little more smoothness, but not much. “ I wasn’t feeling good. Gonna get back to the hotel.” Eve reached for the door, pulling at it to no avail.

 

Fiona rubbed her arms and cast a downward glance, feeling embarrassed for the both of them in that moment.

 

“Shit. Guess I should head to the front—” Eve muttered as she continued to pull at the door violently. She nearly fell to the ground when a pair of woman from inside came out. The loudness of the club invaded the quietness of the night briefly as the door opened. The women shot a quick glance between Eve and Fiona, and felt the tension. They raised their brows and turned to retreat back into the club. Eve’s hand gripped the door to keep it open for her hasty exit as well.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Eve flashed a small smile, half of her body engulfed in the club.

 

Fiona gave a curt nod and watched as the woman disappeared into the loud, flashing lights. The door closed and sighed a breath of relief. However, her heart caught in her throat when she glanced up to see Joe. His arms crossed his broad chest, he stood with a critical glance cast at the woman. Fiona didn’t feel the heat.

 

“Eve might not have noticed you but I sure as hell did. What are you doing out here?”

 

She recoiled at the sharpness of his words. Her mind tried to piece together a witty rebuttal, but couldn’t muster anything in her flurry of emotion.

 

“I—I just needed some fresh—fresh air.” The lie came out more jagged the second time.

 

“Maybe that's how it started.” His jaw twitched slightly, he was grinding his teeth, a habit of his that drove Fiona crazy. “But if I wasn’t clear with you before Fiona, I will make it clear now. I ain’t your little toy any more. I’m done with waiting on you. I’ve got a life to live and you are not going to make me pause it so you can have your cake and eat it too. I’m moving on and I suggest you do too.” He began to turn on his heel, but Fiona’s arm grasped his shoulder, stopping the motion.

 

“So that's just it? You get to call the shots this whole time; from the beginning when you didn’t want this, to the end where you do want this only because I’m getting married now?” Her fingers dug into his warm shoulder. He shook her grip away effortlessly. “Fuck that, Joe. Fuck that! You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t get to ride off into the sunset with my best friend—”

 

“What? While you ride off into the sunset with my boss?” He spat. “Doesn’t sound so good when its turned back on you huh?”

 

He threw his hands and the air and let out an affected scoff.

 

“You know what, Fiona? I’m not going to argue with you about this. We’re done. Oh, but you know what? You can take this” He reached into the pocket of his grey sweatpants and retrieved a white envelope. “I’m not one for playing games, and figured you should know the truth. I tried to give it to you last time I saw you, but figured I’d just send it after our last fight. I don’t know who it’s from and never got another from them, so don’t ask.”

 

And with that he tossed the envelope to Fiona. In only a few strides the man was around the corner out of Fiona’s blurring sight. She felt the hot sting of tears pooling at her eyes as his footsteps became more and more faint. Her stomach coiled tightly as her gaze fell upon the white envelope on the dark ground. A familiar feeling of sickness overcame her as she began to retch into the small patch of grass beside her.

 

She hadn’t read the contents of the envelope, but something in her told her that whatever was inside was going to turn her world upside down.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

_Hello Joseph,_

_I hope this letter reaches you well. What I’m about to tell you bares a real weight on the immediate events in your life from here onward._

_I’m going to make some things happen within the next month. I’ve spent the past year working on making this all happen. And I need your help. I know you’re sick of being a certain someone’s rebound… It’s been a while hasn’t it? More than two years if my count is right…_

_What if I could guarantee a way for that to end? A way for you to be with her, without her fiancée being in the picture. Yes, that's right_ , a real relationship _. Do I have your attention now?_

_Follow my instructions closely, and I can make it happen._

_The next time you meet with her, act normal. Do whatever happens naturally. I will just need you to make sure all curtains are open, and windows unobstructed. And whatever you do, make sure it’s well-lit in the room. I suggest candles. It will set the mood, and shouldn’t seem too suspicious. That’s all. After that, you’re off the hook._

_How will this help you get what you want? Simple. I take a few damning pictures, blackmail her with them and she’ll be so spooked she will do anything I tell her, including coming clean to her husband-to-be. He will leave her, but you will be there for her the same way you always have, except this time she’ll be all yours._

_If you choose not to follow through with this, I will make sure you get another suspension from that pesky drug policy. Remember, Joseph, three strikes and you’re out. Don’t think I don’t have the power to get it done. I’ve got eight press releases ready to be sent out, and a dirty sample in an envelope, ready to send to Dr. Amann at a moment’s notice. Don't make me use them, I’d hate to see you lose your job over something so small._

_And of course, don’t speak a word of this to anyone. Especially her._

_I’m always watching._

  * _A Friend._



 

The white paper dampened from the tight sweaty grip of Fiona’s shaking fist. The black sharpie began to bleed across the paper and onto her palms.

 

She dry heaved in the same patch of grass from before. Her body was empty and fatigued. Too much was happening, and she couldn’t take it anymore.

Joe knew the whole time. He knew her stalker and he just let it all happen… so that he could somehow win her back?

 

She spat and clutched onto her stomach, her painted nails clawed at the lacey material of her dress. The thin fabric gave under the tight grip and began to rip underneath the death grip. Fiona couldn’t care less. The despair she had felt from the rejection she encountered only moments before from Joe quickly dissipated after reading the damning note he had thrown at her. She couldn’t see straight, her eyes twitched, and jaw clenched until it hurt. She wasn’t going to spend another moment with that woman in Miami. She reached into her bra and retrieved her phone, quickly calling for an uber.

 

She was surrounded by the sounds of her heavy breath and the faint pounding of the club inside. She briefly remembered her sisters in the building, but decided they would be fine without her. Fiona knew she could offer a sorry excuse for her hasty exit from her bachelorette party. The only thing she was concerned about was the next flight out of Miami and back to Stamford. There was no way she could stay down there without losing it.

 

* * *

 

 

The warm lights of her hotel room were in heavy contrast to the cold neon lights she passed by in her Uber. Her eyes strained less in the soft yellow glow of her recently-cleaned room. Fiona’s gaze darted to her open suitcase, some paranoid part of her anticipated it to be gone. She rushed to it and began ruffling through the clothes inside, looking for the comforting orange pill bottle with her name on it. Her fingers shook violently around the bottle as she spilled two white bars into her palm, and then into her mouth. She swallowed the lump in her throat along with the Xanax.

 

She anticipated the pills to take their effect soon, and worked fast to gather her things and request an uber to the airport. She had already booked a flight on her way from the club. She would get back into Stamford early that morning. Of course, forgoing her previously scheduled ticket was no issue for the frantic woman. To Fiona, it wasn't time to think. It was time to act.

 

* * *

 

 

“Murph- Murphy? I thought I told you and your sisters not to run in and out of the house so early!” The gruff voice of Fiona’s fiancé carried through the house and into the kitchen that she just stepped into from the back garden.

 

The bright white interior made her squint. She had barely been able to lift her lids and the lightness of her kitchen only made her eyes ache. Normally Fiona would take those moments before Paul came into the room to ready her expression and fix her posture or hair. This time, however, Fiona’s limbs felt too heavy to brush her messy strands from her face. The double dosage of her pills was making quick work on her body, and she was certainly feeling it.

 

“Or is it Aurora? Is that you making all that noise?” Paul’s voice boomed louder. He was approaching the kitchen fast, Fiona tried her hardest to stand up straighter. The weight of her head titled her spine backwards slightly.

 

Her feeble attempt did nothing to dissuade Paul of her condition, however. Upon entering the kitchen, the man stopped in his tracks. His shocked gaze fell over the curvy woman, who looked like she had obviously been on something. Her usually rich amber-toned skin shone an ivory pale, her hair fell unkempt around her round face, her hooded eyes supplied a vacant stare. Her hands hung loosely on the luggage behind her. The woman looked like a shell of her former self. Concerned, Paul began to rush to her, but was stopped when the little joyous patter of small feet padded into the kitchen from behind him.

 

“You called us, dad?” Murphy chimed, Aurora and Vaughn followed closely behind the middle sibling.  His three daughters all carried a vibrancy that Fiona was so severely lacking. Their bright, young cheerful faces fell when they set eyes on their step-mother-to-be. Fiona saw Aurora, the oldest, scowl when their eyes met.

 

The three girls, Aurora 11, Murphy 9, and Vaughn 7, never felt warmly towards Fiona. Fiona tried in vain to foster a friendship with them, but the three girls banded together and collectively cast Fiona away. They preferred spending time with their uncle Shane, and even had a room of their own over there. Paul saw their behavior as only a coping mechanism, it had only been a year and a half since their mother had passed. A new woman coming in to replace her only 6 months later was not helpful in the healing process.

 

Fiona was usually able to avoid being with the girls for too long, but Aurora always had a look of recognition in her eyes that made her feel uneasy to her core. She held the gaze of a condemnatory woman whenever she was in Fiona’s presence. The others only looked at her as scared children. But not Aurora.

 

Never Aurora.

 

“Daddy, whats wrong with Fiona?” Vaughn chirped, pointing unabashedly at the woman.

 

“What _isn’t_ wrong with her?” Aurora quipped, Murphy giggled.

 

“Hey! What did I say about saying mean things like that? Apologize, right now.” Paul’s gruff voice commanded his eldest child.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Get up to your rooms, I’ll call you all down when I have breakfast ready.”

 

And with the little patter of their feet, they were gone. An uneasiness fell over the two once again.

“You weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow, and you look terrible. What the hell is going on?” He closed the distance between them in the bright kitchen. His large hands engulfed her own, he squeezed her hard, but her mind seemed too cloudy to even register the sensation.

 

“I wasn’t feeling well.” She croaked.

 

“I’ll say…”

 

Her body tilted forward, so much so she fell into his hard chest. A faint whimper came from her lips before her eyes fluttered shut. The euphoric feeling took over, and her body felt too heavy to stand on her own two feet. Paul didn’t stagger back, but instead hooked an arm around her waist, and carried her bridal style. He kicked her luggage into the house and made his way to their bedroom, carefully placing the woman on their bed.

 

His gaze scanned her body, weary of what to do next. She seemed sick, but perhaps it wasn't worth calling an ambulance. He decided to slide into bed with her, and keep an eye on the sleeping woman. He was sure he would get all the answers he needed once she woke.

 

* * *

 

 

Fiona’s eyes fluttered open, her hazy gaze fell on the concerned face of her fiancée over her. He sat at the edge of the bed, leaning over and brushing her hair away from her face. She managed to pull the corner of her lips into a weak smile.

 

“Oh, thank God.” He sighed heavily “I was about to get you to the hospital. You’ve been asleep for more than 10 hours.”

 

“Oh wow.” Her throat felt dry and patchy. She cleared her throat to no avail. “That long, huh?”

 

“Yeah, Eve and your sisters have been calling all day, they’re worried sick.”

 

She pressed herself up and glanced around her, checking the windows for complete opaqueness. She felt a small comfort in the curtains being completely drawn close.

 

“I’m sure they’re fine.” She muttered and reached for her phone on the bedside table.

 

Paul reached for her face and stroked her soft cheek with his thumb. He noticed her color was back, perhaps all she needed was a good sleep.

 

Fiona scrolled through the numerous missed calls from her three sisters and Eve. A familiar sense of dread came over her as she scanned the messages she received from an unknown number.

 

_Time’s ticking, Fiona. You need to fess up soon, or else I’ll tell everyone everything._

Her expression contorted into one of complete disgust.

 

“You alright babe?” Paul leaned forward, peering over to see the screen.

 

“All good.” She flashed a full smile and clutched the phone to her chest. “Oh, I gotta pee.”

 

She kicked the comforter off her body and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her swiftly. Almost immediately her attention shifted back to her phone. She typed her response to her assailant.

 

_When? If you were serious about outing me, you would have done so by now._

She patiently waited for the next response, and felt vindicated when her phone came to life only moments later.

 

_Oh. Someone’s finally grown a pair? You sure you want to tempt me Fi?_

She rolled her eyes and texted back.

 

_Joe outed you last night. It’s over. This plan to get me back with him is over cause I’m done with Joe. I don't know what you get out of this, but it’s over, so leave me alone._

A few moments passed, Fiona felt her heart thud heavily in her chest. Her palms became slick with sweat as she felt a rush finally being able to speak to her assailant unchecked. A whole minute passed, she reread her text over and over, mouthing the words with conviction. Maybe she finally called the texter’s bluff. Suddenly, the ellipsis appeared and danced on the screen.

 

_Oh, sweetie, that letter was just a small piece of this beautiful puzzle. I didn't care if you ended up with Joe or not. My motives will be clear soon enough._

Her stomach dropped once again, the sinister wording put her on edge. She began to text a rebuttal, but the other person followed up with a final text.

 

_You have until your wedding day to fess up, Fiona. And if you don’t do it, I will._

Seething, she glared at the number of her assailant, studying the anonymous number. There has to be a way to narrow down who this is.

 

310 552 2505.

 

She opened a tab on her phone, searching for the area code and the region which it belonged.

 

Culver city, L.A.

_Where had I heard of that place before?_

The name practically screamed at her from the screen.

 

Culver City. Culver City. Culver City.

 

The NFL. Their Networks headquarters were located in Culver City. Eve had just quit her job at their headquarters only a month ago…

 

She quickly searched for Eve’s phone number and saw the matching area code.

 

 

“That bitch.”


	12. Chapter 12

Fiona kept her phone on do not disturb for the Monday following her bachelorette party. The constant buzzing and chiming of her phone from Eve and her sisters had been too much for her to process. She sent her bridal party a group text briefly explaining her sudden departure:

 

_Not feeling good. Had to go home early. Thx for the party!_

 

Of course, the message was too brief and too vague to explain leaving her own bachelorette party a day early with no notice. Texts and calls began to filter through her phone from the four other women, the messages left were initially frantic, but gradually became less and less as time passed. Fiona couldn’t mitigate their panic while also figuring out what to do about Eve. Fiona went through her initial phase of shock throughout the night. Paul slept densely beside her while she lay awake, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling above her.

 

_How could I have not known?_

 

It seemed to make sense, all of Fiona’s problems only began when Eve arrived. Eve was always up-to-date on Fiona’s latest phone number, and so switching phones was never a deterrent. It was never hard to know where Fiona was and when, she would never be suspected.

 

The only thing Fiona couldn’t wrap her head around was Joe.

 

_Why would she help Joe get me back if she wanted him all along?_

 

It made little sense to her, and she wrestled with the question that night, well into the first break of daylight.

 

She never found an answer. But that didn’t stop her from coming to a conclusion for all of her issues. Fiona was done. She’d been tugged around and toyed with for too long. She didn’t work this hard in life only to have her success so precariously dangled over a pit of despair.

 

It was time to take action.

 

*

 

Fiona’s heels echoed through the cavernous halls of the Titan Towers. This was the only sound that filled the empty building at 5 in the morning. She couldn’t sleep, and frankly, the molten anger that coursed through her kept her mind reeling. She couldn’t wait to put an end to it all.

 

She dressed for the occasion, slipping out of bed before Paul stirred awake for his early-morning run around their neighborhood. She donned a black powersuit, with a red button up to accent the ensemble. Her hair was slicked back into a tight bun, and her face, while painted beautifully, was made to look as striking and cutting as possible. Fiona was here to instill fear, she was here to stand her ground, and she was here to fight back.

 

Closing herself in her office, she paced to and fro, delicate hands viced behind her back as she rehearsed exactly what she would say. Her eyes frequently glanced at the clock on her desk, marking the hours until her final confrontation.

 

6:45

 

7:29

 

7:52

 

8:00

 

“Joanna?” Fiona spoke into the phone’s receiver.

 

“Yes Ms.Raneri?”

 

“Firstly, I am to be wed in one week. You are to address me as Mrs.Levesque. Are we clear?”

 

“Yes Ms.Ran- Mrs.Levesque.”

 

“Secondly, I need you to send Evelyn Moore to my office the _second_ she comes in.”

 

“Yes Ma’am.”

 

Something was brewing beneath the surface. Bubbling and boiling, hot and thick and heavy, Fiona was feeling the unmistakable allure of power. This was not new to the woman, it drove her to the top of her career, and continues to. It consumes her and warms her, bringing her to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Its a feral and dark force, but she loves it. She feels a great pleasure in the anticipation of putting Evelyn in her place. Fiona was reveling in her darkness.

 

Not too long after, Evelyn comes through her office door, rushing straight to Fiona. She scrambles over to her friend, gathering her in an embrace, before holding her away, inspecting her from head to toe.

 

“Are you okay?! What the hell happened girl? You scared the living shit outta me, leaving us like that in Miami like that!”

 

“Do _not_ touch me.” Fiona gave her a pointed look, her eyes narrowed intensely. “Sit down.”

 

“Whoa, girl. You alright? Whats gotten into -”

 

“You know, Evie - there are secrets in this industry. There are going to be times where you have to do things that you don’t necessarily want to do. It is a long, tough, rocky fucking road.” Fiona stared down at her left hand reluctantly. She first glanced at her lavish engagement ring on her finger which led to her palm where two Xanax bars laid, waiting. She swiftly dry swallowed them. This wasn’t a process anymore, it was automatic. She rose and walked towards the blinded ceiling-length windows behind her desk. She undid the blinds and looked out onto the gorgeous view of downtown Stamford, contemplating her next move. “And we both know this. You worked your ass off out in LA with the NFL, and I, here with the WWE.”

 

“Of course, Fi, I know this. We always have been hard workers.” Evelyn’s voice was uncharacteristically shallow.

 

“And so you know that my climb to the top was a hard one. One that I may not be entirely proud of, but it got me to where I am today. It got me to a position where I can shape the future of this company with the brightest and strongest. I fought my way to get to this position and I will never _ever_ give it up.”

 

“Where are you going with this Fi? I’m totally confused.”

 

A small smile sprang to Fiona’s lips.

 

“I will never ever give up my position, Evelyn. Meaning, all this blackmail, all the stalking, the manipulation, none of that will ever make me step down. I will ruin you, Evelyn. I have no issue doing that, considering you tried to ruin me.”

 

“What-”

 

“Quit it with the lovable idiot act, Evelyn. Its over. I know its you. You’re fucking fired. And if you even think of contacting me or getting anywhere near my wedding, just know I will have you arrested for blackmail and whatever else I can fabricate. You are dead to me.”

 

Evelyn’s red lips sprung open and snapped shut a number of times before she finally kept her mouth shut. Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at Fiona, hatred practically clouded around her. Her last words dripped with venom. She stood slowly and turned to the door, utterly confused and hurt.

 

Without a word she left the office, a soft click echoed in the cold room behind her.

 

*

Fiona felt _good._

She felt _powerful_.

 

 

It was finally over. Cat was out of the damn bag, and Fiona could continue living her life without fear of some sad excuse for a friend clouding her judgement, making her live in fear, and literally ruining her life. She was practically floating, and she didn’t know if that was the Xanax kicking in, or the rush from firing her best friend.

 

Either way, Fiona was reveling in it. She got more work done those next few days than she had in the two weeks that this mess had began. Paul was no longer on her back about her behavior, her dress fittings went by without a hitch, and she wasn’t terrified of looking at her phone anymore. Things were as they should be.

 

Even with this fact, Fiona couldn’t help but feel the urge to take two pills everyday. Something didn’t feel right.

 

Was she waiting for the other shoe to drop? Or was it something else?

 

Something like… Joe.

 

He’d been such a large part of her life, and suddenly he was gone. So severely cut out of it with no real resolution. Or rather, no resolution Fiona was happy with. She often caught herself watching his interviews, his promos, his matches. To see if there had been any change in his demeanor. Was he hurting as much as she was? Didn’t he miss her too?

 

Fiona drowned in a daze of thoughts as she sat at her desk, playing with her engagement ring idly, waiting for the end of the work day to come. Only to mark 3 more days until her wedding.

 

“Mrs. Levesque, I told him he had to have an appointment, I’m so sorr-” Joanna, Fiona’s assistant called through the now open door to her office.

 

In a whirlwind of sound and commotion, Joe suddenly stormed into her office, Joanna following behind him, obviously frazzled.

 

“It’s okay Joanna, I’ll speak with him.” Fiona drawled, fighting through the haze of the medication.

 

She waved her away with a limp hand, and her assistant scurried out of the room without hesitation.

 

Joe’s brows arched into a deep frown, his nostrils flared as he quickly approached Fiona at her desk.

 

“You fucking fired her?” He boomed.

 

“Nice to see you too Joe. Please, sit down. Would you like coffee or tea?”

 

“Don’t play these games with me Fiona.” His large fists landed on her desk. “You fired Eve, after you saw us together? You really that crazy?”

 

Fiona let out a weak chuckle.

 

“I fired her because she was blackmailing me. She was the one who gave you that letter, and who’s been trying to ruin my entire. fucking. life.”

 

“You’re delusional.” He shook his head and ducked his head lower to make eye contact. Fiona’s eyes couldn’t meet his steadily. “Are you fucking high?”

 

“Why the fuck would you care Joe? All you care about is that back-stabbing bitch. The one that pit you and I against each other. This is what she wanted all along, you know that right?”

 

“Are you hearing yourself right now? You sound paranoid. Eve didn’t have shit to do with any of this and you know it.”

 

“Bullshit.”

 

He let out a frustrated sigh and pushed away from her desk, pacing before it.

 

“You have to give her her job back, Fiona. This ain’t right-“

 

“So thats why you’re here. You came here from being on tour, just to beg for your girlfriend’s job back?”

 

“It was unfairly taken from her! She did nothing wrong.”

 

“I beg to differ Joe.” Fiona’s lips curled into a languid grin. “I’m not giving her her job back, and I’ll happily take your job too if you don’t get the fuck out of my office.”

 

“I don’t know what has gotten into you, Fiona. But you should really look in the mirror and reevaluate.” Joe said before striding out of her office.

 

Silence filled the room as Fiona stared up at the white ceiling above her. Her limbs felt heavy, but she felt the rush of power course though her as she basked in the afterglow of it all.


End file.
